Lucinda the First
by Skyrimfan
Summary: Lucinda was just a normal girl living a normal life until her mother was offered a job as the royal sorceress of the Kingdom of Corona. Then things turned for the worst when Lucinda was arrested on charges of witchcraft. When she was rescued and crowned the Princess of Corona, she had to start anew from the start. As she was settling in, a war looms over the land.
1. Narrow Escape

**This is the story of Lucinda the First, of her past and present**

Three years ago, Lucinda was living happily with her mother Marla in the village of Dunwiddie in the Kingdom of Enchancia until her mother was offered a job as the royal sorceress of Corona. Her mother was quite pleased with the offer and decided to move to the castle, however, Lucinda was not happy since she would be away from all of her new friends. When the news reached the ears of Princess Sofia, she threw a small farewell party in honor of her friend, Lucinda was brought to tears at the thought of leaving Enchancia, and her mother promised that they would return when everything is settled.

However, that did not come to past as her mother died when an illness took her.

Lucinda was grief-stricken when the news came about her mother's death that she ran away from Corona and took a ship to it's neighboring Kingdom. The Southern Isles, which was currently recovering from a civil war that ensured between eleven brothers against one, the war came to an end when the armies of Arendelle and Corona smashed the Southern navy and ensured the victory of the youngest brother. But the youngest brother did not live to rule his Kingdom for long as he was killed in a battle in the Kingdom of Enchancia.

She decided to settle down in one of the villages, at first the people took her and accepted her into their community after hearing her tale, but when a hostile group of witches attacked the village, they turned against her. The governor of the town ordered for her to be arrested and put on trail for witchcraft, which normally would end with the sentence of death no matter how old you are. As she sat in her cell, she stared up at the ceiling and silently prayed that Sofia was lucky enough not to hear of her plight.

For three days, she was locked in a cell and fed with only stale bread and water. She overheard the guards talking about the King of Corona invading the Southern Isles, she at once knew that the King was searching for her as her mother had died in his arms that night. Then she heard them saying that the wizard council have arrived, and she waited for the doors to open. Two guards stepped in.

The next thing she knew was being paraded throughout the streets, and then up the steps into a building, a group of villagers have gathered outside and yelled insults.

Lucinda was forced into a hall with two guards beside her, shackles were around her slender wrists like those of a common criminal. Her clothes were reduced to a torn and tattered prisoner's clothing. She held her head low as she passed by those villagers that she once called her friends, some started to jeer and spat out curses, some even threw rocks but the soldiers yelled at them to stop.

She was led into a hall where the wizard council stood, the guards halted and so did she, the council consisted of six elderly men, they were tall and their gray hairs were signs of those who have studied and learned magic for years. Her former friends sat in seats around her. One of the wizards came forward, he looked her in the eyes and sighed. Then he spoke.

"Do you know why you have been brought here child?"

She knew, and was afraid, but still she nodded her head.

"So you know and understand why the people turned against you..." a second wizard said.

"Yes...I do." she turned her head and looked at the villagers in disgust. "Just because they knew that I used to be a witch...but I am no longer one! I gave witchcraft up a long time ago! Haven't you all forgotten the things I've done for the community? Are you all just blinded for revenge that you failed to see the truth!" she yelled.

"Silence!" a third wizard exclaimed. "You do not have the right to speak."

"We are sworn to protect the community with magic, not threaten them with dark arts, and your mother practiced the dark arts." the first wizard explained. "Do you have anything to say in your defense, before we give out your sentence?" he asked slowly.

Lucinda wisely chose to remain quiet and only shook her head.

"Then due to overwhelming evidence, we of the wizard council proclaim you guilty of witchcraft, you will be taken to the town square to be burned alive for your deadly sins." the second wizard announced, and with a wave of his hand, the guards complied grabbing her roughly by the arms and leading her out of the room.

She didn't protest nor retaliate. Her mother was dead and the people she had came to knew betrayed her, in her heart boiled anger and rage but outside she was frightened, and that was the two reasons why she chose to go quietly. She was only a girl living a peaceful and content life until Muriel came along and screwed things up. As she was being led into the town, she caught a glimpse of several horsemen watching her from a distance before disappearing into the forests, she watched as flocks of birds flew out of the trees in fright. Since being a witch, she could understand animals.

She knew that something was coming, but what.

Among the crowds that were surrounding her, she took notice of two witch-hunters whom her mother had made friends with, their names were Hansel and Gretel. The siblings were well known around the Kingdoms for hunting down any witch that practiced the dark arts of necromancy, but they were also close allies with any witch that didn't stray from the light. The two were watching the guards movements and were observing her from a distance, but the looks they gave her were not disgust nor anger but were sympathy and hope.

Before she could be executed, Hansel fired a shot into the sky and a fast swirling arrow pierced the neck of a guard carrying the torch, spilling blood all over the scaffold. The two witch-hunters then revealed themselves and started to attack the guards standing around, then out of nowhere she heard the sounds of horses galloping and loud battle cries. She turned to find soldiers on horseback charging into the village with their weapons drawn, she saw the soldiers cutting down those who stood in their way as flaming arrows filled the sky striking their targets with deadly accuracy.

"Coronains!" a guard shouted before he was struck by a thrown spear.

She looked to the front and saw more soldiers coming from the other side as well, the other guard that was to her left was struck in the head by a flaming arrow. Screams and the clashing of steel against steel could be heard all around, horses neighing as their riders pulled on the reins, and the smell of death became much more evident in the air. She started to panic but could not move due to the fact that she was tied up to the stake, she didn't have to wait long as the soldiers that were attacking ran up the scaffold and cut her loose. One of the soldiers, checked her for injuries while asking questions.

"What's your name?"

"Lu...Lucinda.." she replied, still shaken by the sudden attack.

"And what is your mother's name?"

"Marla..."

"It's her alright." the soldier said, turning to the others. "Go find the King!"

Hansel approached her and smiled warmly. "Hey, hey, kid. You remember me? Nod your head if you do." he said. She nodded still a little traumatized by all the blood and deaths. "Someone pass her something to keep her warm. It's freezing out here!" he barked, and one of the knights ripped off his cloak and handed it over. "Here...it'll keep you warm from the cold." he said, wrapping the cloak around her shoulders.

She smiled at her savior. "Tha...thank you.."

"Don't thank us." Gretel said, with a crossbow in her hands. She jerked her thumb towards a man riding on a white horse. "Thank the King of Corona. He came looking for us the moment he heard you were arrested, when we heard your name we didn't hesitate to travel down here. Your mother was our closest ally and a good friend. We promised to keep a close eye on you after her untimely death."

Just then, the King of Corona rode up and dismounted from his horse. It was the first time, Lucinda had seen the King up close and personal, she had heard tales from traveling merchants about his bravery in battle and his negotiation skills. Her mother had also told her countless stories about the King's love of magic and how he would demand a magic show to be shown before going to bed. She guessed that he was in his mid-forties but his true youth was masked by the studded beard that he had chose to grow after he was crowned King. He knelt down to Lucinda's height and brushed her hair back.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, his voice was firm and strong.

Lucinda nodded her head slowly. She could see the fury in the King's eyes but it was gone within a few seconds, the darkness across Hansel's face was the one that made her frightened. The King looked at her and smiled sadly. "My name is Erik Fitzherbert, you may have heard of me from your mother, as you can see, I'm the King of Corona. Your mother was a close friend of mine, a very good friend...and when I heard that you were arrested in the Southern Isles, I had to come...and for the love I bore your mother..." he said softly, using his finger to wipe away tears from her face. "...do you wish to become my daughter and live in the castle with me?" he asked.

She replied by hugging him tightly while crying onto his shoulders, the knights and the two witch hunters smiled warmly at the touching scene. "Dry your tears Lucinda...it's over..." Erik said, as the young girl sniffed and complied. Then, a group of knights and soldiers approached with three members of the wizard council, they halted right in front of their King and forced the three wizards to their knees, swords and lances were at their backs in case they tried to run. "Only three? Where are the others?" Erik asked, looking at the three battered and weary old men.

"Dead," a knight replied. "They fought back against us when we told them to surrender, they were easily shot down and cut to pieces. Sir Ralof has their severed heads should you wish to see them."

"No need for that..." Erik said, he then turned to the remaining three. "What shall I do with the three of you? You accused my daughter of a crime she didn't commit, and yet you argue that the wizard council is designed to keep the peace..." he approached one of the wizards. "Peace...here is your peace!" he grabbed him by the collar and started punching his face repeatedly. The wizard groaned in pain, but Erik didn't bother and continued, "Here is your peace." and with that he smacked the wizard's forehead onto the ground, smashing the skull and splattering blood all over the place.

"You...you're a monster!" one of the two wizards proclaimed.

"Monster you say?" Erik sneered, he gestured to the surrounding. "Do you not see wizard? I control all of this." several of his knights snickered at the phrase. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, he unsheathed it and sliced off the wizard's arm, causing the old man to scream in agony.

"I wouldn't talk back if I were you, here is the legendary King Erik, the conqueror of the North, vanquisher of the barbarians, savior of Enchancia...and so on.." Hansel spoke. "He united the once scattered banners of Corona and led them against the invaders of his Kingdom. The powerful Northern Isles have been brought to kneel at his feet, and the Queen of Arendelle stands at his side."

"Thank you for the kind introduction my friend." Erik said, patting Hansel on the back. "What are your terms, as I offer none." he asked, quickly ending the one-armed wizard's life with his sword.

"Peace! We ask for peace..." the last wizard said.

Gretel smashed a bottle of glass onto the floor. "There's your peace. Your council saw to that when they decided to burn Lucinda. You'll have an easier time drinking from that glass than suing for peace."

"Well said." Hansel smiled at his sister.

"I guess, that leaves their fates in the hands of my daughter." Erik said, turning to look at Lucinda. "My men will obey to whatever you say from now, should you choose to spare him, he will leave this place unharmed. But if you want to kill him, I will let you choose his death." he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You have the power over life and death, his fate is now in your hands."

Lucinda sniffed and stood to her full height. She looked at the frightened old man kneeling in front of her, for once she felt powerful but on the other she felt nothing but sympathy for the wizard. But nonetheless, vengeance for the way she was treated clouded her judgment, she looked at her step-father with fury in her eyes. "Burn him." she muttered out before breaking down again. Hansel and Gretel immediately carried her off the scaffold and away from the scene that was going to happen, the bulk of the Coronian military followed them.

"You heard her." Erik said, holding up a torch and tossing it to one of his guards. "Light the fucker up."

_**Three months later...**_

It has been three months since the terrible ordeal, but she was glad that it was finally over. The week after she was rescued by King Erik, she was crowned the princess of Corona in front of the royal delegates from Arendelle, the townspeople and the military forces, after which a ball was thrown in her honor. Before announcing her as the princess, King Erik went through all the possible details with his advisers and it was decided that they would keep the introduction small and simple. Marla Magwin, was crowned the Queen, and Erik made a royal proclamation that he would not be marrying anybody else since the love of his life was dead.

Lucinda quickly picked up the skills that was required of a princess and learned the proper way of addressing royals from other Kingdoms, she went on and lived among the people, making her loved by all she met. She also studied the history of Corona and discovered that her father's parents were none other than the legendary Queen Rapunzel and the famous King Eugene, it was a little too late for her to meet them as they had passed from the world a few days before she was rescued. She also learned that her father had fought alongside King Roland the First of Enchancia and saved the King's life nine times on the field, and the two had been close friends ever since.

A few months went by, and Lucinda's birthday was drawing near andKing Erik knew her daughter misses her home village of Dunwiddie, and he came up with a brilliant plan together with his best advisers, Hansel and Gretel. The two witch-hunters chose to quit hunting after the introduction of Lucinda to the royal court, but before they could decide on their next journey, Erik offered them a place in his court. And the siblings agreed after much consideration, Hansel became the Lord Commander of the royal guards, and Gretel took over as the new royal sorceress.

And of course, they were elated to help plan the present for Lucinda.

It took them a few weeks to prepare, as he wanted it to be a birthday surprise for his daughter, he waited patiently until the time came.

"Hansel, can you please call my daughter into my study."

"At once, Your Majesty." Hansel replied. He found it surprising that with his skills and knowledge of the surrounding woods, he rose in the ranks of the royal guards faster than any usual recruit. And theft in the city dropped drastically after he took command, though he tried to put his past behind, he found it difficult to contain his anger when he needs it.

He found Lucinda in the gardens playing with her pet falcon, the two had bonded after she mended it's broken wing and nursed it back to health, from there the two were inseparable. They were so close that the falcon had saved Lucinda's life when she fell into the fjord near the castle, because of it's quick thinking and determination her life was saved. King Erik himself honored the falcon with the rank Master of Birds.

"Princess Lucinda." he called, the girl turned towards him and smiled.

"Hansel!" she squealed with joy as she ran up to him after putting her pet away. "So...what's up?"

He chuckled lightly at her enthusiasm. "Your father requests your presence in his study." he said.

Lucinda's face paled. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

"It's none of those sorts. Now, come along."

He led her back to the King's study. "Your Majesty, she's here." he announced, before opening the door and allowing her to enter. He then stood guard outside with two other members of the royal guard.

"Ah, Lucinda." Erik started, "I did some researching and I know that you used to live in a village called Dunwiddie in the Kingdom of Enchancia. I just want to ask, how was life there?" he asked.

Lucinda was taken aback at the question but answered anyway. "It was fun, peaceful, quiet. It was actually everything I could ask for. At first, the people weren't kind to me because I liked to cause trouble and make fun on them but Princess Sofia came along and changed me for the better."

"Hmm...interesting. Go on."

"With Sofia's help, I managed to make friends with everyone in the village, including those whom I hurt. They forgave me and we started anew. She also introduced me to her family, her mother and brother took a liking to me at first glance, though it took some convincing for her sister and father but at the end, they all understood and became good friends." she continued. "Why do you ask?"

Erik smiled. "Because...I am invited to a royal ball in Enchancia, and I want you to come with me."

"Really?" Lucinda beamed.

"Yes, my child."

"Thanks dad! You're the best!"

The very next day, the royal Coronain convoy departed for the Kingdom of Enchancia. Lucinda was elated, she hasn't seen her friends for three years and can't wait to see them again. And the best part was, they didn't know that she is now a princess and part of a royal family. She wanted to use that to her advantage, and that was why her father had allowed her to bring along her sorceress apprentice outfit. Other than that, she was fine. She watched as the townspeople waved and said their farewells as they left through the main gate, soldiers stood to full attention as they passed.

Erik had allowed Lucinda to bring along her pet falcon, seeing that the two were inseparable and the falcon itself was the perfect guard for his daughter than any of the royal guards. Secretly, he had also formed a bond with the falcon as Lucinda had caught him chatting with it in her room, but he put it aside as being curious, but no one knew that he could understand animals.

"Did you feed him?" he asked casually.

"Who?" Lucinda looked at her father.

"The falcon..." he sighed.

"How did you know it was a 'he'?" she asked.

"Um...I just guessed." he quickly replied before pretending to look at the scenery.

"How odd..." Lucinda observed.

Gretel, who was sitting next to her on the carriage smiled warmly. "My brother came to me a few weeks back, he told me that he had read through your mother's journals and inside was a chapter all about you. He handed it over and I read it. It clearly stated that you missed the life in Enchancia and you longer to return there. Thus, we both came up with a plan and visited the King. And this is the best birthday present we could think of. Letting you see your friends again sure brings joy to our hearts." she said.

"Aw...thank you so much Gretel!" Lucinda said, hugging her hand.

Erik smiled at the scene. "We will probably arrive a day before the ball starts, I did this on purpose so you could roam around and meet with your friends. But when the ball officially starts, you must know that I have to announce to all that you are now my daughter. I hope you do understand." he tried his best to explain politics to Lucinda in a much more simple way.

"I do." Lucinda nodded her head. "We can't hide forever...it's about time."

"But you do know that once I make the announcement, you will have to attend Royal Prep."

"New school. New things...I love that challenge."

"Now, that is a Lucinda we know and love." Hansel commented from his horse. "Just remember-"

"Don't eat the candy." everyone cut him off while rolling their eyes.

**In the next chapter, Lucinda will arrive in Dunwiddie Village**


	2. The Princess Arrive

**Chapter Two**

**The Princess Arrive**

Trumpets sounded the arrival of the King of Corona. The streets of Dunwiddie were filled with crowds of cheering people as they laid out the path towards the castle. King Erik Fitzherbert rode at the head of his delegation, waving his right hand at the people of Enchancia, his smile brought warmth to many people. About ten years ago, the Coronians entered the war between Enchancia and the Barbarian tribes of the North, Erik who was still the crown prince then led his forces to the foreign land and brought the fight to the Barbarian Chieftain. His entrance marked a turning point in the war and in less than a month, Enchancia was fully rid of the Barbarian hordes. The former King of Enchancia, Roland the First hailed him as the Savior of Enchancia. The name has stuck ever since.

Behind the King rode his Kingsguard led by Hansel. The former witch hunter turned captain was a sight to behold, the beard that he had chose to grow masked the true beauty of his face. Beside him was his sister, Gretel, the royal sorceress of Corona. While Gretel waved and greeted all with a bright smile, Hansel merely nodded at all whom he passed. Soldiers after soldiers followed them from behind, some armed with spears, others carrying the banner of their Kingdom and the King's coat of arms. Many people within the crowd gasped with awe when they noticed the final person that was coming, some of the children wavered slightly especially those that knew her personally.

Princess Lucinda 'Magwin' Fitzherbert was dressed from head to toe in her princess gown, her tiara glistened in the sun, she was riding on her own horse as her pet falcon perched on her left shoulder. She smiled and waved at everyone. It was great to be back at the place she truly belonged. Her personal guards stood protectively around her, after several assassination attempts by unknown assailants, her father wasn't keen on letting her roam alone. Hence, she was assigned to be protected by a squad of elite soldiers handpicked by the King himself. Over the weeks that they were together, she had learned to trust and respect them for who they are.

She spotted her old friends, Jade and Ruby. Both girls had their mouths opened wide when they spotted her riding down the streets, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly. The castle drew nearer and nearer with every step. She was eager to see her best friend's reaction when she comes strolling down the castle gate in her princess outfit. Her father had given her the permission to enter last and only after the herald calls out her name, she had chosen to enter in style which her father agreed after much persuasion. It wasn't long before she found herself crossing the bridge into the castle. It was there where she pulled the reins on her horse and waited for the signal to enter, her pet falcon took to the skies the moment her horse stopped trotting.

King Roland the Second stood outside the main entrance to the castle's great hall with his family, it was a standard tradition for royalty to greet the other. The grand procession of the Kingdom of Corona entered shortly, he was in awe of the grand entrance the soldiers made. They marched down the long winding courtyard and formed a straight line with their spears facing downwards, one by one they lifted it up when their King came riding in. King Erik came to a complete halt in front of the castle steps, where he dismounted along with Hansel and Gretel. He dipped his head towards King Roland.

"Greetings King Roland." He greeted politely. "How have you been?"

Roland returned the bow. "Looking after Enchancia, Your Grace." He said with a smile. The two then embraced each other in a friendly hug. They parted with a firm handshake. "Allow me to introduce you to my family." He said before gesturing to his family beside him. "This lady here is my wife. Queen Miranda." Erik did what was usual for all royalty to do, he took her right hand and kissed it. "My children, Prince James." The boy in green bowed slightly. "Princess Amber." The girl in yellow dress gave a graceful curtsy. "And lastly, Princess Sofia." The last girl in purple curtsied as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Erik said with a warm smile. He then gestured to the man and woman standing on his left and right respectively. "These here are my friends. Hansel, the captain of my royal guards. Gretel, the royal sorceress of Corona." He introduced his two companions. "These two have been my companions for as long as I can remember, from the days where I was just a mere crown prince to the day I took the crown." He said with mirth in his voice.

Roland chuckled lightly. "Yes. I do remember you two." He said shaking both their hands. "I believe it was during the massive battle in the Enchanted Forest when you two came to our aid. Without your powers and tactics, we wouldn't be having this conversation today. I owe you two my life." He added.

"We live to serve, Your Majesty." Gretel replied politely.

Hansel gave a small smile. "My sister is right. We only live to serve."

Erik coughed a little to get their attention to him. "I have introduced you all to my companions but I haven't introduced you to my daughter." He said with pride. Roland looked at him curiously. "She was a little more than a wreck when I rescued her from the clutches of the wizards. However, she now brightens everyone whenever she passes by, her traumatic past forgotten. It took her time to adjust to the life of royalty but she did manage. My daughter has been dreaming of Enchancia for quite some time now, for you see, her mother used to live in these parts." He stated. He loved the inquisitive looks the royal family was throwing him, he turned and nodded to the guards behind him.

Trumpets sounded once more. A herald stepped forth and yelled at the top of his lungs. "All hail Princess Lucinda the First! Long may she reign!" The yell was taken up by the soldiers that had previously lined up the courtyard. "Long live the Princess!" Came the cries of the soldiers.

The royal family watched with awe as a young girl, about the age of Princess Amber came trotting down the courtyard on a horse. She came to a halt at the steps and leaped off her saddle with not much effort, she extended her right arm and a falcon swooped down and perched itself firmly on her arm. She smiled and snuggled with her feathered friend for a second before releasing it into the air once more, she glanced up and walked up the steps with pride in her steps. She curtsied in front of the King and Queen of Enchancia.

"Your Majesties." She greeted softly. "It's a pleasure seeing you again."

Queen Miranda eyed the princess closely and gasped. "You...aren't you the friendly neighborhood witch that Sofia befriended?" She asked. The girl nodded her head. "Well, it's really a joy to see a familiar face after so long." She said with a warm smile.

King Erik laughed at the joyful occasion. "Yes, I believe my daughter has much catching up to do with her old friends." He reached down into his coat and pulled out an amulet. "Lucinda." He called. The young princess turned to look at him. "This is the Amulet of Kings. It has been in my family for generations ever since Corona was founded, it's sort of a family heirloom. My mother gave it to me and now I want you to have it." He gently placed it over her neck.

Lucinda touched the red jewel hanging on her neck. "It...it's beautiful father." She commented.

"I'm glad you like it."

Sofia stepped forward. "Lucinda..." She mumbled softly. The joy of seeing her friend again was melting her heart but the fact that her witch friend was now of royalty shocked her to the core. "It's great to see you again." She said with a small smile. "How is royal life keeping you?"

Lucinda giggled softly and waved her hand around. "You know...a little of this and that. Had to learn a little on my etiquette skills, how to curtsy properly, how to speak like royalty and so on. All those lessons were thrown in within a month, and I have to master them all. Well, I'm proud to say that I passed all of them with flying colors, which is why I'm here today on my first diplomatic mission." She explained in a more dramatic way. Her eyes lingered towards James. "And it's good to see you too."

James blushed a shade of red and he chuckled nervously. "You've grown more prettier than the last time I saw you." He said before retaliating. "For a princess, I meant."

Lucinda smiled. "Why, thank you for that kind comment James."

The prince had his hands placed behind his backs. The smile never leaving his face as he gazed into the eyes of Lucinda. Ever since he first laid eyes on her all those years ago during Mother's Day, he developed feelings for her, but he couldn't tell everyone that he was in love with a witch. But now, he had his chance. That witch was now a princess. He had a hard time controlling himself to maintain his posture and not rushing up to grab her hands, and asking the question that he had a hard time conveying. He was brought out of his thoughts by his father when he announced that it was time to head inside the castle. During the feast that was prepared for the guests, he kept gazing at how Lucinda sliced her steak and drank her tea. When she looked at him, he quickly looked down.

"Is there something on your mind?" Amber asked, already noticing her brother's look.

"It's nothing Amber." James said plainly. "I was just thinking..."

"About?" Sofia spoke up.

James gave them both a look. "Seriously? We're having a feast with the delegates and you are asking me questions about my thoughts?" He said with a scowl.

Erik chuckled loudly gaining all attention to him. "I can see the look in your eyes, young prince." He said. He put aside his utensils and looked at James with his blue eyes. "I was once a prince like you James. I understand the desire you are feeling right now, the feeling to walk up to the girl you fancy and ask her out. Yet you are afraid of her parents." He pointed out the facts. James looked at his plate in total embarrassment. "I swore that my daughter would marry the boy she fancies. As long as you treat her the way a princess should be, I have no quarrels with you." His eyes then narrowed. "But if you hurt her in any way, I will sail all the way down here just to kill you."

James gulped. "Yes sir. I understand."

"Then we are at an agreement." Erik said joyfully. "Should you wish to court my daughter. You have my blessings." Lucinda grew three shades of red when he mentioned her.

The rest of the feast went on without a hitch except a few playful remarks made by both Amber and Sofia, other than that all was fine. After the plates were cleared and the adults settled into official business, the children ventured outside to the castle gardens. Amber and Sofia took turns to ask their witch friend questions about her life as a princess, Lucinda answered all of them honestly and said nothing but the truth. In the end, the topic came to the Wizard Council. Sofia revealed that the news about the bold attack made by Corona on the Southern Isles did not go unnoticed, in fact the students in Royal Prep were all talking about it.

"Well..." Lucinda stuttered. James held her hands in his and surprisingly she felt better. She stared at their hands before gazing into his eyes, he was smiling at her but his eyes told her that he knew everything. What about his sisters? Do they know as well? She did not know but since she was asked by her closest friend, how could she refuse. "A band of rouge witches attacked the small community that I was staying in. The people who knew me and treated me as a friend turned their backs when the military came knocking. The mayor had me arrested to stand trail in front of the Wizards Council, a bunch of old men who swore to uphold the laws of magic."

Amber covered her mouth in shock. "How could they just turn on you?" She asked.

"When I first settled down in that community, I revealed that I was once a witch and surprisingly they took it very well and accepted me into their fold. If only I knew." Lucinda said darkly. "Anyway, the Wizards concluded my trail and sentenced me to die at the stake. I allowed myself to be dragged away and didn't bother to retaliate. To me, I felt as if they were granting my wish to join my mother in the afterlife but once I was upon the scaffold I started to panic. It was then a fast swirling arrow struck the guard that was carrying the torch, he fell as blood spluttered out of his forehead." She found herself smiling and more at ease as she said those words, neither Sofia nor Amber could reprimand her for that as they too are feeling the same thing.

"Then I heard loud war cries coming from within the forests. I snapped my head right and what I saw gave me a new sense of hope. Horsemen from the Kingdom of Corona arrived with weapons at the ready, they came like a never ending wave. All around me they fought, the two siblings Hansel and Gretel were there as well, Hansel wielding his famed crossbow and Gretel using her mother's wand. It wasn't long before the Coronian forces reached my location, I was then escorted away as the remaining wizards were executed via fire. King Erik saw no reason to heed their cries and burned them anyway."

"I can hardly believe that I'm going to say this..." Sofia took a deep breath. "But the wizards deserved the death that King Erik bestowed upon them." She said in a cold and menacing voice.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly Sofia." Amber nodded her head. "What do you think James?"

James managed to crack a small smile. "I'm glad that it was King Erik that put them down. My only regret is that I wasn't there with him. Anyone who hurt Lucinda will get what's coming to them."

Lucinda blushed lightly. "Aw...you flatter me James."

Sofia's eyes then caught sight of the guard that stood behind Lucinda ever since she arrived at the castle, her curiosity started to get the best of her and she couldn't help but ask. "What is your name good sir? I've noticed you standing there for quite some time..." She stuttered slightly.

The guard gave her a warm and cheerful smile. "My name is Ralof, Your Highness. I've served in King Erik's household ever since I was ten, I was first a squire to his father King Eugene and when I've gained quite a reputation within the castle I was promoted to the Captain of the Queen's guard. And I've served Queen Rapunzel ever since...and when she died...I was deeply affected by it. She had treated everyone as one of her own be it the servants or the cooks, everyone. Her death had a deep impact on all of us guards. Then, we were summoned to war by the King." He said.

"Queen Rapunzel was a remarkable lady. I wish you all could meet her." Another guard commented.

Lucinda cast her eyes downwards. "She treated me like family. She gave me food, new clothing, everything that I ever wanted. She was there with me when my mother died...and I ran away from all that." She clasped her hands together in front of her dress. "And when I was rescued. My only goal in mind was to apologize to her for running off...however...I was greeted by her lifeless body lying in the Great Hall covered with the Kingdom's emblem. King Eugene was lying next to her." She couldn't help it and started to sob uncontrollably.

James placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." He whispered.

Ralof nodded. "Aye. It wasn't." He added.

"My mother would kill me if you said that." Came the voice of King Erik. The said King strode down the gardens and headed straight towards his daughter, behind him was King Roland the Second. "My mother had lived a wonderful life, minus the days she lived as a captive, she wasn't afraid to move on to the world beyond. Her death caused my father to die of a broken heart. Their love was just too strong for anyone to break apart, once, my mother went on a diplomatic trip and did not return for quite some time. My father nearly went to war because of it." He explained. "Do you recall anything Roland?"

Roland nodded his head. "How could I ever forget that." He said, causing all eyes to turn to him for answers. "When I was ten, the late Queen Rapunzel came to visit Enchancia at the end of her royal tour. Unfortunately, a heavy storm prevented her ship from leaving port. It was her decision to remain behind and my father graciously honored her request. Her short stay turned out to be quite disastrous to us as a grand armada of ships from Corona sailed into our waters, King Eugene threatened to invade if we did not release Queen Rapunzel." He spoke with a little mirth in his voice. "Tensions were rising between our two Kingdoms. If I recall our armies did clash with each other on several occasions."

"Fortunately, no one died during those skirmishes." Erik added for him. "My mother yelled for both sides to stop and listen to reason. At the end, my father was too embarrassed that I had to step up and order the fleet back. After that incident, our two Kingdoms establish peaceful relationships all the way till now. And I intend to honor my mother's words of keeping the peace." He said with pride.

Lucinda sniffed. "Perhaps you are right father." She smiled sadly.

Sofia and Amber stared at their father with wide eyes. "You almost went to war with one of the most powerful Kingdoms in the entire history?" Amber asked. "If what history class told us was true then the Kingdom of Corona has the largest fleet and the strongest army ever assembled, they could muster about three hundred thousand men within a month! And you almost went to war with them!"

Lucinda smiled slightly at the sudden outburst. "Actually..." She started and looked at her father for permission to continue which he allowed. "My father is in command of the Northern Isles and her forces. Queen Elsa of Arendelle stands proudly at his side as the most powerful ally. So if you calculate all his assets properly, there will be a total number of nine hundred thousand and sixty two men he could muster within a single month. So if our two Kingdoms were to actually go to war...well, I dare even dare to predict the ending." She continued, eying everyone with a small smile. She could see the shocked looks on both Amber and Sofia while James was trying hard to swallow everything. King Roland behaved as if he already knew.

"Which is why the first thing I did as King was to establish a trade." Roland spoke up after remaining silent for quite some time. "And King Erik is here today to renew our trade agreement. Also to sign the military alliance between out two great Kingdoms. To signify our new alliance and agreement, I have proposed to hold a ball in his honor where everyone will be invited to witness the proper coronation of Princess Lucinda." He stated.

Lucinda blinked once. "I thought I was already introduce to the court?" She said softly before her eyes widened. "Wait! My mistake...I haven't been fully introduced to everyone...yet."

"I hope you are ready." Erik said with a warm smile. "It's a tradition to provide an official welcome to each new member of the royal family. For your mother, it was my proclamation. But for you, it has to be a royal ball. And King Roland has been kind enough to host a ball in your honor. It will be the night for you to shine hence you and I will dance the first waltz." He added. Lucinda just stared at him blankly. "I understand that you hate dancing. After what happened in that ballroom but-"

"NO!" Lucinda slammed her hand across his mouth. "Don't tell anyone!"

**That concludes this part. I apologize for the long wait but I am kinda busy with final examinations and studies alike. I hope you all will enjoy this chapter. Stay tune for more!**

**In the next chapter, Lucinda will be formally introduced to the royal court.**


	3. The Royal Introduction

**Chapter Three**

**The Royal Introduction**

Princess Lucinda waited anxiously in the chambers that was provided for her during her stay in Enchancia, now was the time for her to reveal her identity to the rest of the royal court as per tradition. King Roland the Second was kind enough to allow King Erik to host the revealing of her royal status together with his royal ball, and rumor has it that King Roland the First would be in attendance. Which would explain the sudden increase in the number of guards. It was the most important date ever in Enchancian history. Not only will the King's Father be present but other Kings and Queens as well but the most important guest would be the delegation from the Kingdom of Corona.

She went over to the window overlooking the castle's bridge. From there, she could see every single carriage that entered the courtyard, she was lucky enough to catch the arrival of King Roland the First himself. The Grey-haired old King stepped out of his carriage but not before turning his head to look directly into her window, he gave a small but encouraging smile before walking up the steps. Lucinda was curious, just how in the blazes did the old man see her from all the way downstairs. She was soon interrupted from her thoughts by a soft knock on her door, she quickly slipped on her amulet and did some finishing touches before exiting her room.

"You look lovely tonight." Commented a neatly dressed Prince James. He was clad from top to bottom in his ceremonial robes which was blue in color with a few golden buttons and white golden trimmed ribbons. His boots were made of pure leather and he had a small red cape dangling behind his back indicating his status as the crown prince. A short sword hung on his belt and his hair was trimmed back neatly. The blush on Lucinda's cheeks when she spotted him only made him blush ever harder.

"Thank you James." Lucinda replied politely. She had chosen James to be her personal escort for her introduction tonight as her personal guards were away on an _errand_. Captain Ralof and his men were given the permission to relax for the night but being the all too stubborn guards like they were. They refused and instead volunteered to guard the castle courtyard for the duration of the ball, as long as their princess is safe within the halls they will have no quarrel. Lucinda had tried her best but in vain to convince her guards to enjoy the night alongside her, at the end she reluctantly allowed Ralof and his squadron of knights to patrol the courtyard. She may not show it but she respects the men that chose to uphold their oaths and vows to protect her with their lives then to spent the night off.

"The castle is tightly guarded tonight. The Commander of the Guards is making doubly sure that no one interrupts your night." James said as the two of them walked along the hallway. "Some servants are saying that it is because my grandfather is here tonight but the truth is the other way round. My grandfather personally ordered his guards to protect you for the night, so don't be surprise when you see Enchancian guards strolling along behind you." He explained with a smirk.

"I don't understand people sometimes." Lucinda shook her head. "Ralof informed me that the streets are being patrolled by elite Coronain soldiers and the archers on the ramparts has been doubled in size, and that's not all, Sofia came to see me before you arrived and told me that she spotted Coronain knights on the _rooftops _of Dunwiddie village. Knights on rooftops! Can you believe it. I know my father is worried about my well-being but having knights on rooftops is going way too far. Besides I have Rune."

James could hardly maintain a neutral expression. "He must be really worried about an attack."

Lucinda sighed. "There were some attempts in the past but the swift reaction of our guards saved my skin more than I could count. These assassins that tried to take my life are mostly dressed in black with masks concealing their faces, they are always armed with a dagger and a wand. Ralof was with me during one of the daily strolls I loved to take around the city when one of them struck, his right eye was slashed by the assassin's dagger. But the funny thing is, Ralof responded by jamming his hand towards the assassin and the poor sod was bleeding from the neck, all I could see was a flash of a small blade hidden along his wrist." She said in confusion.

James froze. _"A hidden blade?"_ He mumbled to himself. _"There is only one organization I know that carry those blades."_

"Oh my!" A heavenly voice sounded. Both James and Lucinda stopped in their path. There, before them stood three fairies, old and wise but their beauty surpasses all. Lucinda cried out in utter disbelief, gaping with a trembling pointed finger. "Long time no see!"

"Look at how much she's grown!" The woman in green dress stated, her two hands neatly placed together. "How long has it been? Three years? Six? Oh...I can barely remember."

"Our best student is now a princess of royalty! I knew this day would come!" The blue dress woman said in joy as she flew in front of the two royal children. "We should have been there for your coronation as a princess but there are things that we must handle here in Enchancia."

"Seeing our top student getting introduced is the best thing we could do." The fairy with red dress said with joyful grin. The three fairies held out their arms as Lucinda charged forward. James watched the entire scene with a warm smile, he was enchanted by how overjoyed Lucinda was. "How have you been all these years? Behaving well I presume."

"Always." Lucinda replied with her own smile. "You don't know how much I missed the three of you!"

"Oh...we miss you too dear one."

James coughed to get their attention. "Lucinda. You never told me that you knew the headmistresses of Royal Prep?" He said out loud. Lucinda blushed in embarrassment.

"My father hired them to be my tutors when he was away on an errand two months back, he told me that even if I am a princess he still wanted me to carry on my witch heritage to continue on my mother's memory. So that's what I did. They were the best teachers one could ever ask for! They taught me how to be patient and to use my powers sparingly." She giggled at James' reaction to her answer. "Best we run along now or we'll be late." And that phrase snapped James back to reality.

King Erik and King Roland stood side by side watching the entrance to the ballroom, it was certainly not their usual behavior when Queen Miranda and her two daughters spotted them talking to several guards about an assassination attempt. Erik mentioned that the dark witch Muriel had once plotted to take over the lands of Corona, and do that she must kill Lucinda, her other attempts were foiled by the swiftness of the royal guards. But now Lucinda is an open target. If Muriel were to strike the castle tonight, many of the guards would be too far to react properly, and that is what King Erik fears most.

The former King of Enchancia reassured that the castle is tightly guarded and no mere witch could waltz in without arousing suspicion. Erik wasn't too convinced with the answer but took it nonetheless, it was his daughter's night to shine and he didn't want to stand in her way. Trumpets soon sounded and guards from both Enchancia and Corona created a line on each side standing a few inches away from a red carpet, the royal herald of Corona unrolled a scroll and said the few words that everyone had been anxiously waiting for. "All hail Lucinda 'Magwin' Fitzherbert from the Kingdom of Corona!"

The doors to the ballroom opened wide and everybody gave their loudest clap. The princes that were present in the ballroom were in awe at the majestic armor that the guards wore, princesses were jealous of the ruby amulet that hung around Lucinda's neck. Lucinda walked graciously into the ballroom waving at everyone she sees along the way, Sofia and Amber both gave her a curtsy when she walked passed them making her giggle at their behavior. James left her side to join his siblings but not before giving her a swift but polite bow. Her ten bodyguards soon formed a straight line towards King Erik and each drew their sword and raised it high in salute as she passed them.

"All hail Lucinda!"

"Our swords are yours!"

"The Gods are with you milady!"

"We stand with you milady!"

These few words could be heard coming from the assembled Coronain guards in the ballroom, the Kingsguard being led by Hansel only gave her a salute with their swords as they only serve the ruler of Corona.

Lucinda stopped walking once she reached the front of the ballroom. The guests' attention were now all directly towards her. Gretel stepped forth with a beautiful tiara that outmatched almost all of the princesses present in the room, Sofia and Amber stood awe struck at the ruby gem that reflected the lights into their eyes. She handed the tiara towards the former King of Enchancia who took it carefully in his two hands. Lucinda took the hint and knelt before the altar.

"In my capacity as the Lord High Chancellor and former King of Enchancia. I now proclaim Lucinda Magwin, First of Her Name, Princess of Corona and the Ruler of the Northern Isles!" Roland the First slowly placed the tiara upon Lucinda's head before taking a step back. "All hail the Princess!" He bellowed.

"All hail the Princess!" The cry was taken up by the rest of the guests. Of course, James yelling the loudest.

King Erik stepped forth and bowed before his daughter. The guests in the ballroom formed a circle around the two, giving them enough space for their first waltz as father and daughter, King Roland and his father graciously stood aside. "May I have this dance milady?" He asked while extending his hand. Lucinda wasn't afraid to take it. The two then danced a slow but graceful waltz along the ballroom while the musicians played a beautiful and classic melody, everybody stared at the warmth and love that the two possess.

Their small dance ended with a round of applause before everyone joined in the melody, Roland took Miranda in for a waltz, Sofia and Amber went forth to linger with the princes from Royal Prep. James swallowed his fear and approached the star for tonight. He stopped a few inches in front of her and gave a swift and polite bow. "May I have the pleasure to dance with you, my lady?" He asked. Lucinda couldn't afford to decline as she was taken in by the sweetness of his voice, she gladly accepted his hand and the two begin to waltz around the ballroom. "I know I said it already. But you definitely look beautiful tonight. Not even Sofia's grace or Amber's dress could compare to the beauty in your eyes. No princess from Royal Prep can even stand up to your standard." He said and his eyes told no lie.

"You flatter me James." Lucinda replied with a giggle. "Care for a waltz?"

James bit his lips and looked down. "Nothing would please me more milady." He said softly.

The musicians played a lovely melody as they danced around the ballroom, Sofia and Amber watched on keenly with wide smiles across their faces. King Roland and Miranda stood with their hands held together entranced by the love and joy in James' face as he danced with the only girl he fancied. Erik watched with a small smile across his face. His daughter was no longer the small and timid girl he rescued all those months ago, she was now a grown woman, capable of taking care of her own. But her safety was still his top concern. From his position he could see Hansel starting up a conversation with several young princes, Gretel on the other hand was being questioned by other royal sorcerers about her skills and her ability to serve Corona.

"You men are all the same, looking down on us women." Gretel said in a huff of annoyance. "You think that your skills as a sorcerer is amazing?" King Erik's chuckle brought the entire conversation to a halt.

"My daughter herself is training how to use a sword." Erik's answer made the other sorcerers cringed in fear. "My royal sorceress is the best I could ever ask for. Her abilities as both an adviser and a trainer helps Corona tremendously, so I would advice you men to watch your tone with the most fearsome woman I have ever known. Her mother was a white witch, the most wisest and powerful of their kind."

"We did not know Your Majesty." Cedric, the royal sorcerer of Enchancia apologized. "Please accept our humble apology, Mistress Gretel. We were wrong to compare your strength and weakness against that of ours." He added with a dip of his head as a sign of respect. "A daughter of a white witch is not one to be reckon with and yet they are quite rare, but still some folks hate witches to the core up till now. Only those with the status as an enchantress or sorceress are safe from their grasps."

Erik's face darken. "I'm sure I do not have to remind you royal sorcerer that the wizards paid with their lives for harming the daughter of a witch? And that witch is the late Queen of Corona." Cedric paled slightly. "I thought so." His smile soon returned. "Well gentlemen, I bid you a good night. I hope you will enjoy the hospitality that King Roland the Second had put up for us to enjoy." With a small wave with his hand, he walked towards King Roland the Second who was discussing a few important matters with the other members of royalty that were invited to the ball. "So what's the news? Judging from the looks on your faces, I can tell that the news isn't a joyful one at all. So what is it about Roland?" He asked his childhood friend.

Roland turned his head towards Erik wearily. "Muriel is getting much more stronger than we believed she was. Some of my father's men reported in that one of the frontier garrison was wiped out by supernatural powers that could only come from a powerful witch or warlock. There were no survivors and the entire fort was razed to the ground."

"She is indeed a threat." King Magnus of Rudistan stated. "You have faced her before King Erik, how fares her forces?"

Erik pondered for a little while. "She is cunning in her strategy planning. I won't lie to you on this matter King Magnus. The woods are her domain. If she takes the fight with you near any forest, you can be sure that your soldiers will not live to see the next sunrise. The only way to stand against her is to outsmart her." He answered.

"Then what do you propose King Erik?" Emperor Quon of Wei-Ling asked.

Erik looked at every single King and Queen standing around him. "What I am about to propose is a plan that my generals have repeatedly told me would be suicide, I will understand if none of you takes part in this foolish plan of mine." He paused and waited. No one moved an inch. "No one? Good. I plan to take the fight to the open plains near Enchancia, it's vast in size and eighty leagues away from the Enchanted Forest. That plot of land will be her downfall."

"An excellent plan King Erik." King Nasir of Khaldoun commented. "When do our armies leave?"

"Lucinda is starting Royal Prep in two days time and I cannot bear to face her if we leave immediately..." Erik said softly. The other Kings nodded in understanding. "We will give our armies at least a month to prepare and train. Who knows how long this expedition is going to take. Give them time to spent with their families..."

"That is agreeable in my books." Emperor Quon agreed at once. King Magnus and Nasir supported him.

"It's agreed then." King Roland said with a weary smile. "In a month's time. We will unite our knights and take the fight to Muriel."

Unbeknownst to the Kings, James was leaning against a pillar watching them with discontent.

**Well, I decided to make a few alterations to the story to keep them much more canon. So there would be no King Erik seeking vengeance against wizards (Well, maybe a little with students from Hexley Hall) And I decided to take away the chapters of Erik marching to Hogwarts as I find it a little too off the border. Thus, the story will now be mainly focus towards Lucinda and how she copes with her studies and life while her father is planning to march away for a war. Plus, I have also decided to make a few references to Assassin's Creed. If you have read this chapter before. Read it again to find out who is an Assassin in this story. Though he won't be the only one. So without further ado, the next chapter!**

**Lucinda officially starts Royal Prep and surprises everyone that she is no stranger to royalty.**


	4. Meetings and Friendship

**Chapter Four**

**Meetings and Friendship**

King Erik Fitzherbert had just finished checking in on his knights camping outside the castle walls and was heading back to his quarters for the night. He had chose to take a longer path instead of the usual main entrance, which is why he headed left towards the gardens. The Royal Ball had just ended and he was glad that the other Kings were determined to help him put an end to Muriel and her coven once and for all. War. That is something that he did not wish to see again. In his younger days, he has fought in more wars than any other member of royalty, he scored his first major victory at the mere age of twelve and suffered his greatest defeat a year later. He had hoped never to teach his adopted the daughter swordplay but recent events had forced him to change his mind.

The King of Corona was deep in thought and did not notice a young girl rushing by him carrying a tray filled with plates and mugs. He realized a little too late that he had crashed into a servant of the castle, the plates came crashing down and the mugs flying all over. He quickly helped the servant to stand and froze when he noticed that the servant was merely a girl barely in her teens. He blinked just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The servant girl mumbled apologies after apologies and started to pick up the now broken parts of the plates she was carrying, never looking at him in the eye. Erik knelt down and started to help when he accidentally cut his own finger.

"You're bleeding!" The girl gasped. She pulled out a handkerchief from her back pocket and pressed it against the open wound. "Luckily the broken glass wasn't that sharp. It would have severed an artery and _that_ would mean trouble. And I mean a lot of trouble."

Erik found himself smiling at the girl. "You have a heart of gold little one. Best not to throw that gift away." The girl returned the smile slowly. She slowly removed the handkerchief which was now covered in blood. "It's just a small cut. It's nothing to worry about." He said.

"Here. You should use this." The girl stated handing over the handkerchief. "I have to rush back to my duties. Tons of plates to clean!" And with that she disappeared.

Erik stood up slowly, his hand still holding the bloodied handkerchief. A small grin formed on his face as he stared at the stairs that the young servant girl had taken. _"How odd. A young girl working in the castle. There is something about her that I can't put my finger on...__she does have those eyes of that woman I met along the road all those years ago.__"_ He said to himself. He looked down at the piece of fabric in his hand. _"Looks like I have to talk to Roland tomorrow about meeting this young girl. At least, I can thank her properly."_ He shook his head with a laugh.

And that is exactly what he did the first thing in the morning. Lucinda was away with James touring the castle grounds together with Sofia and Amber, Queen Miranda had elected to follow them thus only Roland remained in the throne room when Erik came down. "Roland. There is something I must talk to you about." Erik started. "I met a certain young girl in the castle last night. She appears to be at least eleven or twelve. And she was wearing a servant's uniform." He stated.

Roland chuckled. "Ah. You must met Dorrie. She is our youngest staff in the castle. But before you retort with your famous words, I did not hire her, she was handpicked to work here. She lost her parents at a very young age and was sent to an orphanage to be raised. Baileywick, our castle steward heard high praises coming from the Lady in charge of the orphanage of Dorrie's fine work and determination. He brought up the details to me and I agreed after much discussion with Miranda, we both agreed as she has really no other place to stay. True, the orphanage takes good care of all the children, but what would happen if she reaches the age?"

Erik looked thoughtful. "I see." He stroked his beard. "And are the rumors true that this certain young Dorrie is in fact a witch in training?" He looked back at his friend's shocked face. "I'm not looking for trouble or anything. I am just curious about this servant of yours. She reminds me a lot about a woman I used to know...she shares her eyes and hair...so is she a witch?"

Roland gave a curt nod. "Yes, she is. Her father and mother are Donald and Mary Cosmarune - Starks respectively. Due to some...ah...incident in their old village of Galdana, they moved to Dunwiddie and changed their names from Cosmarune to Starks. It was here where they gave birth to Dorrie and decided to raise her as a normal child so she would be spared what they had to go through." He explained. "Why? Do you know them?" Erik's expression was a little mixed.

"Cosmarune." Erik repeated the name. Rolling it with his tongue. "An ancient powerful family of warlocks and witches with ties with my grandfather and grandmother. And they came from Galdana you say? Then my guts were right. Mary Cosmarune was the woman who nursed me back to health after I recieved a nasty wound from a skirmish with the barbarians." He said.

"Ah, yes...I remember that day well." Roland went to sit on his throne. "You left with your knights to confront a large force of barbarians spotted in the south. We feared that you fell in battle as we hadn't heard from you nor your men for at least a week." He recounted the events. "And she did rescue you from the fjord, did she not? Your mother keeps rambling on about that."

"Damn it Roland. Do you have to remind me about that time?" Erik scowled in a mocking fashion.

Roland backed away with his hands raised. "Hey, I was just stating the facts." He said with a laugh.

"So you wouldn't mind if I might...request her presence in the throne room." Roland looked at him confused. He pulled out a now cleaned handkerchief from within his robes. "There is a certain piece of cloth I need to return."

"I will have her summoned immediately." Roland said with a bemused expression.

It didn't take long before the same young servant from the previous night approached the throne room warily, she had not expected the man she bumped into was in fact the King of Corona. And now, she was frightened and scared for her life, she was afraid that she might have offended the King in some ways. The guard escorting her opened the doors to the throne room and took his leave, King Roland the Second was seated on the throne talking with a man whose back was facing towards her. She approached the throne slowly.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?" She managed to squeak out.

"Oh I didn't." Roland admitted. "He did." He pointed a finger towards Erik.

Erik whirled his head around. "Ah, I wanted to thank you for your help last night. Roland here has told me a little bit about you and I extend my condolences for the lost of your parents. I apologize for not telling you my status as a King last night, but perhaps you already knew that." He walked down the steps towards the girl. "Here. Your handkerchief. Good as new." He held it out.

The girl accepted it. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Screw it with the titles." Erik groaned inwardly as Roland howled with laughter. "I know you must be taught by Mister Baileywick that when addressing a member of royalty, one must be polite and keep your head bowed." The girl nodded. "Look up at me Dorrie." The girl looked up with wide eyes at the King who just called her by her name. "Now, allow me to teach you how to greet me properly. First, don't say my titles. Second, you can call me Erik or the man with the crown."

"That wouldn't be proper now would it, Your...ah...I meant Erik." Dorrie stuttered at the last part.

Erik beamed up. "See. Isn't it easy to call me on a first name basis." He chuckled. Dorrie wasn't too sure as she always stick to the rules. "Fine. Only when no one else is around." He gave up.

"That I can deal with Erik." Dorrie replied with a small smile.

Erik nodded, he turned his head towards Roland. "Mind if I borrow your servant for a little while. Lucinda always loves making friends with children of her age group. I think they might get along with each other." He said. Dorrie tried to argue but stood back in vain at Roland's reply.

"That's an excellent idea!" Roland clapped his hands together. "Dorrie is already friends with Sofia, James and Amber. Having another princess as a friend would come in handy." He agreed.

"It's a deal then." Erik and Roland shook their hands while grinning at Dorrie.

_'Mother help me...'_ Dorrie thought to herself as she followed the King of Corona. _'Since I'm stuck with the King. Might as well just ask some questions...'_ She sighed and opened her mouth. "What was your occupation before you became the King?" She asked. "Sorry. Stupid question..."

Erik found it rather amusing. "My occupation?" He didn't look back nor stop but Dorrie could tell he was having a fun time. "Why do you ask? I was a prince of course!" He laughed.

Dorrie grinned sheepishly. "So...do you know any other royalties apart from King Roland?"

"I do know his father. King Roland the First. I was squire to him for a few years...well...after mother cleared that small incident that nearly led to a full blown war between our two Kingdoms. Other royalties...hmm...I met King Magnus though I don't really know him. I have strong ties with King Nasir of Khaldoun, we two go way back to when we were kids. Emperor Quon...not really know the man but we are on good terms." Erik replied her answer. Dorrie nodded her head. "But. I also know Queen Elsa of Arendelle." Dorrie's head snapped straight up. "What?"

"Queen Elsa?" Dorrie stuttered. "As in the _real _Queen Elsa?"

Erik looked bemused by her expression. "Why? Is she an idol of yours?"

Dorrie blushed. "I looked up to her. She has ice powers yet she in unafraid to show it out to every one else. But for me, no, I'm afraid the moment someone spots my wand and starts throwing me those inqusisitive looks. Sometimes I wish I could just throw them into walls or something."

Erik stopped walking and looked down at her with a serious expression. "Dorrie. Anger doesn't solve everything. If people throws you faces and insults, just ignore them and continue living your life. No matter how others might think, it doesn't really change who you are inside." He pointed to her heart at the last sentence. "Revenge is merely a word used by nearly everyone. But when you finally gain it. Can you really do it?" Dorrie lowered her eyes in shame.

"N..no...I can't." She stammered. "Why...why am I even thinking these evil thoughts!"

"Sometimes our alter-ego takes control of our minds but we must never allow it to control our actions, who knows what you will really do." Erik replied calmly.

"I understand." Dorrie nodded her head. She shook aside her thoughts. "So why did you 'borrow' me from King Roland?" She asked.

"Lucinda. My step-daughter." Erik answered as they continued walking. "She was a former witch now turned princess. But...she is afraid to pick up her wand ever since her _incident_ in the Southern Isles." He paused for a little while. "I wanted her to honor her mother's memory by becoming both a witch and a princess at the same time, but being the stubborn girl she is, she refused."

"Ah...I see. You want me to convince your daughter to take up her wand again?"

"Exactly." Erik mused to himself. He produced a long stick from within his robes that Dorrie believed was Lucinda's wand. "Here. This is her mother's wand. It was traditionally passed down to her but giving what she has gone through...she didn't want to touch this wand again, she kept it locked away in a glass case inside her wardrobe." Dorrie threw him an inqusitive look. "I do not want my daughter to grow up like other princesses. I want her to enjoy what she loves doing best."

Dorrie accepted the wand and held it close. "I understand sir." She replied politely. "I'll see what I can do to convince Princess Lucinda to wield a wand again. But no promises!"

"If you manage to get her to touch her wand..." Erik paused and thought for a little while. "I'll return something that your true mother gave me when I was a young prince." Dorrie's eyes widened at his revelation. "That is a story for another time. Dorrie Starks formerly of House Cosmarune."

Dorrie stared at the King of Corona for quite some time. She blinked once to ensure she wasn't dreaming. "Um...Erik...I'm adopted by the Head Maid of Enchancia. So...my family name isn't Starks anymore but Cooper." She admitted. Erik merely chuckled at her response.

"Violet Cooper. A fine woman." Erik commented. "But that does not change the fact that you are the heir of House Cosmarune. I'll be speaking to your adoptive mother and King Roland the Second to grant you the permission to return to your ancestral manor in Corona once you become of age."

"Manor?" Dorrie now looked confused. "My parents are warlocks and witches but I don't see how they would owe a manor?" Erik looked surprised for a moment but realised that she had lost her parents at a very young age thus they did not tell her the entire truth about her family.

"How do I put this..." Erik stroked his beard as he paced around. "The members of House Cosmarune long have dealings with the rulers of Corona for two generations. When I was twelve, I fell into the fjord while playing by the cliffs...I feared that I didn't have time to say a proper farewell to my father and mother and that I must pass from this world at a very young age. Darkness soon took me. And yet, I awoke to the sight of my mother weeping and a soaked stranger sitting beside me. She explained to me that she had saved my life. So begun a long an prosperous relationship between two families. Yours and mine." He explained.

"My father rewarded your parents with an ancient manor that sat atop the hills overlooking the city, it was meant to be a gift for Corona's most talented knights or lords. But your mother earned the every right to live in that manor." Erik said with a small smile. "I visited your parents almost every single day. But as I grew, my visits became lesser. Soon it was once a week then once a month. But they never complained. Then one day...they left without saying a word."

Erik sighed as he gazed out into the courtyard. "I am sorry that I could not save your father and mother. If I had known they moved to Enchancia, I would have placed them under the most utmost protection that a King could grant..." Dorrie interrupted him before he could apologize further. She knew and understood that the King was putting the blame on himself for not being able to save her mother who so happens to have saved him twice in a row.

"You have nothing to apologize for...Erik..." Dorrie said softly. "You are not responsible for their deaths. They chose to come here instead of staying at this manor you told me about. Their deaths are their own doing in some way." She composed herself before tears overtook her.

Erik gave a small sad smile. "Your mother saved my life. Twice in fact. First at the fjord and second in battle. Without her skills in the arts of healing, I fear I would have died from that nasty wound I recieved by that barbarian scum." He stated. "Anyway, the manor is yours. I would love to explain to you more about your family but I must go. My knights need their King. And my daughter needs inspiration." Dorrie curtsied and walked in the other direction. _"She takes after her mother after all."_ Erik thought to himself after Dorrie disappered from sight.

Dorrie took a deep breath, twirling the wand in her hands. Just over the distance was the girl she was instructed to help. Princess Lucinda. She wasn't the only one there though. Prince James and his two sisters along with Queen Miranda were with her. From what it looks like, they were giving her a tour of the castle grounds._ "Alright Princess...time to see what you're made of."_ She said to herself as she headed towards the direction of the royal family. She cringed when Sofia turned her head towards her. _"No backing out now."_ She sighed and resigned herself to her task.

Just as expected, Princess Sofia approached her friend. "Hi Dorrie. What is it that you require?"

"Um..." Dorrie bit her lip and her eyes lingered towards Lucinda. "I...need to speak with the Princess of Corona. Just a few moments of her time...if you don't mind of course." She stammered.

"I'm sure she would allow it." Prince James said cheerfully. "Wouldn't you Lu?"

Lucinda replied to his remark by flicking his ear. She was beaming as she did that. "Of course I would." She said while giggling at James' glare. "What is it that you need?"

"May we speak in private Your Highness?"

"It's alright. We can wait." Amber said with a smile. "We'll be at the gardens if you're done Lucinda." She added. And with that the royal family left. Well, James was the last.

"So. What is it?" Lucinda asked with her arms folded. She then noticed her wand. "I see...my father put you up to this didn't he?" She clasped her two hands behind her back, something that she had learned from Hansel during training time. She grinned devilishly as she approached. Dorrie shook her head. She cocked her head to a side. "Don't deny it! I can see my wand there in your hands as clear as I can see the sun. So do enlighten me why did he sent you to me?" Her anger mixed with her magic sent birds flying out of trees and nearby objects to break apart.

Dorrie was at a lost for words. She did not know exactly how to counter the anger of Lucinda's outburst, she fumbled with the wand in her hands while trying to dig a hole with her shoe on hard solid pavement. "Well...I...ah...he...His Majesty...wanted you to honor the memory of your mother as she was once a white witch, he wanted you to continue on the tradition and not toss it aside like a soiled cloth." Lucinda remained unmoved. "Please, Your Highness. He just wants you to-"

Lucinda cut her off by covering her mouth. Her frown turned into a grin. "Dorrie. I know why you're here. And I haven't given up my heritage as a witch." She said slowly. Dorrie's eyes went wide as her cheeks flushed with embarassment. "My father came to me last night. He told me that he had a plan to save you from doing chores for the day, I agreed to be the pawn in his game. He felt that this is a better way to repay your kindness when you stopped the bleeding from his finger."

"He...did...what?" Dorrie's mouth was agape.

Lucinda giggled as she waved her hand and everything repaired itself. "I didn't need the wand anyway. I have been praticing wandless magic with Gretel since I first became a princess. I am getting the hang of it but it takes quite a lot and I mean a LOT of effort to cast a simple spell like that one." She rolled her eyes. Dorrie was still staring at her with a lost expression.

"Anyway he specifically told me to make sure that you enjoy the rest of the day off." Lucinda said sweetly as she took back her wand and tossed it to a holster at the side of her dress. "Come along then. Sofia and Amber has big plans for you." And with that, she dragged a bewildered Dorrie along with her towards the gardens. King Erik watched the entire scene unfold with mirth in his eyes.

**And that concludes Chapter Four. I know it isn't much but at least it's still something right? I borrowed the character "Dorrie" from Niagara14301's story of the same name. Somehow, I felt that it would be better for Lucinda to be friends with someone who happens to be both a witch and a servant. King Erik reveals small parts of his history with Dorrie's real parents and expresses his feelings for not being able to save them from harm. **

**In the next chapter. News arrives from the frontlines that the forces of the Southern Isles have pledged their swords to Muriel and are advancing upon Enchancia. King Erik and his allies leads a full-frontal assault against the invaders leaving the castle grounds un-defended. Muriel strikes at the castle with a small group of Dark Witches. Left with only her wand and pet falcon and three friends on her side, Lucinda is left with no choice but to kill for the first time in her entire life. But can she truly do it? Will her heart allow it? Read to find out!**


	5. Forging Ties

**Chapter Five**

**Forging Ties**

Princess Lucinda sat on her chair with a sour expression with her pet perched upon her shoulder. No one had said a word after the news broke out that the Southern Isles was invading Enchancia, King Erik and King Roland the Second together with his father, Roland the First, had mobilized the entire military force and rode out to confront the invaders. The bulk of the Coronain force that arrived had broken camp and left with their King leaving behind a small contingent which consisted of twenty knights and men-at-arms to defend their Princess. Of course as always Captain Ralof and his small squadron of guards remained. Lucinda knew it wasn't enough if the enemy tried to attack them here.

Prince James was pouring his head over documents after documents that his father hadn't read through, especially now since he is the Regent King of Enchancia. Cedric and Gretel left with their respective leaders leaving only a small amount of people capable of wielding a wand to defend the castle, mainly Sofia, Dorrie and Amber. Although trained to use a wand, James, much prefer the arts of swordsmanship to the arcane arts, who could blame him, he is a boy after all. He looked up from his reading to find Sofia engaging in conversation with some of the remaining guards. Amber helping Dorrie burn a few threatening letters that came from the Southern Isles. Lucinda still sat sulking to his right playing with her pet falcon.

"Hey," He gave her a tap on the shoulder. "it's going to be fine."

Lucinda turned her weary gaze towards him. "I can't help but worry for my father, Hansel, Gretel and all those men that rode off with them. All those men, all volunteers, were told just a few weeks back that they were going to pack up out of their comfort zones, travel about two and a half miles away from their loved ones to serve as guards for the delegation. And now I could add, to potentially fight in a war which no one seem to pay attention to." She sighed in frustration. "Just think about it James. Ruby and Jade are out there acting as if there is no war going on, and the people behaved as if they don't even care." Her head fell into her hands as her falcon flew to James' outstretched arm.

James raised an eyebrow in concern. "Lucinda. That is a bold accusation. The people may behave the way they do may not be as you think, they do in fact know and understand what has been going on lately. The war drums and smoke is a dead giveaway. But they go around with their daily lives as if nothing happens is because they want to believe that this war will end." He stated. Lucinda's pet falcon screeched and flapped his wings as if in agreement. "See. Even he agrees with me."

Lucinda lowered her gaze. "You're right..." She mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." James said with a bright smile. "So why not come with me to take a walk by the village? It's bored getting holed up here for the entire day." He extended his hand.

"But what about-?" Lucinda was cut off by Prince Fredrick who happened to be nearby.

"No worries about the castle. Me and Desmond will take good care of it." Fredrick replied with a swift bow. "Go enjoy yourselves you love birds." He smiled sheepishly which earned him a smack from Dorrie. "HEY!" He whined. Another smack. "Come on Dorrie! What was that for?!"

James chuckled at the couple's bickering. "So about that walk?" His hand was still extended.

A smaller hand reached up to take it. "I would...certainly like that."

And that is exactly what they did. With their hands tightly held together, they strolled the pathway of Dunwiddie village, a squadron of guards consisting of Coronains and Enchancians followed them from a short distance. James then begin telling Lucinda about the few events that took place while she was gone, which included a game between the royals and village children, somehow they both knew that Sofia would be forced to choose between her new family or her friends. At the end, Sofia chose to play for her village team. It was then Lucinda's turn to tell about what had transpired during her three month induction into a royal family, surprisingly, she laughed it off.

"Gretel taught me wandless magic which I took a very keen interest to. I studied swordsmanship under the watchful gaze of "_Lord Commander"_ (Using two fingers to quote) Hansel and some other high ranking soldiers. Miss Flora taught me to respect my heritage. Miss Fauna taught me to love all things nature. Miss Merryweather instructed me to use my spells only for the power of good." Lucinda numbered off the things she did during the period of three months. "And...I think that's about it."

"You sound like you hated the training." James stated after and afterthought. "About Hansel."

"Argh!" Lucinda folded her arms. "It's not that I don't like the man. I love him. He's like the brother that I never had. But when it comes down to training...he's just a...I don't know how to put this. I'm a girl and yet he expects me to crawl around in the dirt just because I can't block a blow properly." She huffed in annoyance while James held his stomach in laughter. "Oh shut up!" She threw a light punch.

"Ow!" James rubbed his right arm tenderly. "What was that for?!" Another punch. "LUCINDA!"

"Boo hoo Prince James." Lucinda chided with a smirk. Her ears perked up as her entire body tensed, she slowly reached for the handle of her wand, the sound was becoming more evident. James heard it too and so did the guards. And to her horror and the shock of all near her, eighteen witches on brooms flew towards the castle in full speed. "We need to go back now!" She exclaimed.

"You don't have to remind me." James grumbled. The first time he actually went out with Lucinda on a stroll and an attack _had_ to happen. But that wasn't the only thing. Both Sofia and Amber were inside the castle with only ten guards protecting the courtyard. His heart feared for their safety if they do not arrive in time. He pointed his finger towards the castle as they broke into a sprint. "GUARDS! Quick! Back to the castle!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Am I seeing things or is that a shower of arrows coming towards us?!" Lucinda cried as she used her two hands to cast a large bubble shield that dispelled the arrows in all four directions. Shower after shower rained down upon them. "I...can't hold..." Her eyes rolled back and she fell forward.

"Lucinda!" James rushed to her side. The shield was still in place and the arrows were still raining down upon their position. He checked her pulse and smiled briefly when he caught the small scent of her heart beating. "She's alive but totally worn out." He said before using all his might to lift Lucinda over his shoulder. "Men. Form ranks and keep pressing onwards." The guards complied and marched forward in a slow moving manner. The archers noticed that they were being played for fools, an illusion spell was cast upon their eyes so that they believed that the approaching party was the enemy.

"How did we not see them?!" An Enchancian guard cursed.

"They must have flew over our heads." An irritated Ralof seethed. "Too fast for even our eyes."

James settled Lucinda down and made sure that she was leaning against a solid wall. "Captain Ralof, can you and your men protect her until the enemy is dealt with." The old Coronain nodded. "The rest of you will follow me into the castle and drive out the intruders." The soldiers gave a resounding cheer as they gladly followed their Prince and future King (for the Coronains) into the fray. James unsheathed his sword from his belt and kicked open the castle doors. "For Corona! For Enchancia!" He cried.

Dorrie breathed a sigh of relief as she reflected a spell intended for her. "About time!"

"Where's Fredrick? Desmond?" James asked when he noticed that the two princes weren't in the throne room nor were their respective guards. "Have they been hurt?"

"No." Dorrie dodged a spell and retaliated. "Prince Fredrick is leading the defense in the East Wing and Prince Desmond went with him, when the witches blasted down the doors, half of them went towards the corridor and up the stairs. The princes gave chase." She replied. "Ah, here comes your sister."

"Well, it's high time you showed up James!" Amber chided as she fired her wand. "Sofia was hit by a spell but no worries. It isn't a deadly one. Just that the impact broke her arm."

James narrowed his eyes towards the enemy. How could they. How could they attack his sister. His thirst for revenge aided him in taking down many witches until only three remained, the guards had put up a bitter resistance and many of their own lay dead yet they were still eager to carry on. Dorrie and Amber were both tired and weary. Sofia supported her broken arm with her free hand whilst standing behind a line of guards. "It's over! Lay down your wands and you'll not be harmed!" He ordered.

The three witches looked at each other and laughed hysterically.

James' grip only tightened. "I said throw down your weapons!" And they laughed even harder. Before anyone could react, the three witches disappeared in a puff of smoke. A loud blast and the sound of cries echoed from the courtyard. "Lucinda!" Was the only word that came out from his mouth. And he ran for the doors and out into the courtyard to find Lucinda standing over three dead witches with two of her guards aiding each other to stand. Captain Ralof held onto his arm which was bleeding. A smirk came to his face.

"So...the princess knows how to wield a sword."

Lucinda twirled the sword before stabbing it to the ground. "And I'm ready to do it again."

"Spoken like a true Coronain."

"The witches were led by Muriel herself. Judging by the robes they wear, I reckon that these three were her lieutenants or one of her best witches. Their goal was to kill anyone associated with me, however, they had one flaw. You can't possibly kill a White Witch not while she is trained in both swordsmanship and the arts of magic, you should have seen their faces when I snatched Ralof's sword from his hand and deflected the spell right back into their faces!" A small grim smile formed across her face.

"I believed your training with your Lord Commander paid off." James said with an equal smirk.

Lucinda lowered her gaze, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "I...do owe him some gratitude don't I?" James nodded his head seriously. "I guess I owe him an apology as well..." She sighed.

"Hey, owning up to something is one of the traits of being a member of royalty." James stated with a warm smile. "We always admit to our faults….Well, except grandfather, he always insists that his point of view is correct and everybody else is either telling a lie or a traitor the Kingdom." He made a face that made Lucinda howl with laughter. "But enough about that. Let's just clear up this mess and head back into the castle. We must prepare a speech for the people as well….since most of them saw the witches flying over head and us yelling our commands out _loud_." He reminded.

"Merlin's mushrooms!" Lucinda slammed her forehead with her right hand. "I'm not used to giving speeches. There was this one time where I must make a speech at the grand opening of an orphanage that was funded by the Coronain Crown. Father couldn't make it and he appointed me to make the speech on his behalf. Can you imagine it? ME. Standing in front of a crowd of hundreds if not thousands of people and soldiers alike." An evil grin formed on James' face. "What?"

"Nothing." James trailed off innocently.

Lucinda wasn't convinced but she threw her thoughts aside as she used what spells she could to repair the damage done to the castle grounds while Dorrie did the same with the interior. James helped support Ralof as he directed him towards the servants who could patch up his wound. Sofia assisted the wounded soldiers to a temporary holding area for them to rest until the experienced healers return from the expedition. Amber did whatever she could to help the servants with pacifying the restless people of Dunwiddie whom had all crossed over to the castle after hearing the commotion.

"What's going on?" Ruby. One of Sofia's best friends from the village asked with concern and dread in her voice. Amber used to dislike her because of her status as a lowborn but after spending time with her and getting to know her, she changed her entire view on lowborn villagers. "Is Sofia alright?"

"We saw the witches. They flew past our houses with great speed heading straight for the castle and then we heard a loud explosion and shouts coming from everywhere!" Jade. Another of Sofia's best friend from the village. Amber at first disliked her too but came to respect and acknowledge as an equal. The two of them were the only children in the village to actually know and have contact with Princess Amber personally. "Was it an assassination attempt?" She asked worriedly.

"Sofia's fine. She's just a little traumatized by what transpired earlier, she just needs a little more time to come to terms that we are now at war." Amber said slowly making sure that the two girls could hear what she meant to say to them. "And no it wasn't an assassination attempt. It was a declaration of war against the Crown of Enchancia." She added softly. "Please, just get everyone to calm down first and all will be explained in due time. So can I count on you two to help me out?"

"Sure." Jade nodded her head and turned to the crowd. She cupped her hands together. "EVERYBODY KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELVES! ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED IN DUE TIME! IF NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO LISTEN TO ME THAN I'M AFRAID I MAY GET VIOLENT!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Those near her covered their ears and cringed. But her voice did its job and everyone kept quiet. Amber gave a silent nod of gratitude.

"Never expected you to use the word 'violent'." Ruby remarked with a smirk.

"I was just exaggerating." Jade defended herself. "If you don't strike fear to them. They won't listen."

Amber nodded her head. "Ah. There comes James."

"And Lucinda…." Jade said in awe. She and Ruby believed that they were hallucinating when they witnessed Lucinda among the Coronain delegation entering Dunwiddie Village. Until after hearing about the Ball and the truth that Corona now has a Princess that goes by the name of Lucinda.

"Sometimes I hate you James." Lucinda grumbled as James took one step back from the podium. The people were now focused directly on her. She took a deep breath. "People of Enchancia. Friends and soldiers alike. Three years ago, I was a simple witch living her life in a small village wanting nothing but a few friends who don't mind my heritage, the village was Dunwiddie. Now, I'm the Crown Princess of Corona with a large room filled with trinkets and dresses that even I am afraid to touch them. However, no matter where I am or what I am, whatever the status, I will never forget my homeland which is Enchancia. It is where I came from. And it is my home."

"Those soldiers!" She pointed her finger towards the survivors of the Coronain guards that volunteered to stay behind to protect her. "Those men. They came to us from distant Kingdoms and foreign lands. From Arendelle and Enchancia. The Northern Isles and Wei-Ling. From north to south. And east to west. Casting aside their lives fighting for the freedom of mankind. Volunteers. Farmers. School teachers. Husbands and fathers. All of them united under a single banner fighting a covert war which no one will understand. They sacrifice their lives protecting the lives of men, women and children who will never know their names." She paused for the effect to kick in. "And that is why we fight. And we will continue to do so until the last of Muriel's followers are silenced."

An aura of silence filled the air as the crowd pondered on her words. Then there was a clap. Then another and another. Soon the whole crowd was clapping their hands and hollering out her name to show their support in her speech, James and every single one of her friends were clapping in total agreement. Lucinda smiled shortly and left the podium and approached her friends waiting for her at the castle's entrance. Amber had brought Jade and Ruby with her. Sofia stood with Dorrie. And James stood with Prince Fredrick and Prince Desmond, both whom were tired and weary.

"Nice speech." Prince Desmond nodded his head in admiration. "I have completely no idea what the Kingdom of Corona had done to safeguard the rest of us. For that, on behalf of my father and our Kingdom. We would like to extend our gratitude to the brave soldiers of Corona."

"Am in agreement with Desmond." Prince Fredrick said whilst holding on to Dorrie's hand. It was no surprise that the two were dating openly. "I did not come all the way here just for a play date or to visit Dorrie, I came not as a prince but as an ambassador for my Kingdom. My father heard tales about Corona and her exploits and he wishes to join the coalition that King Erik Fitzherbert founded."

Lucinda was taken aback. Two princes whom she hadn't met already expressed their interest in joining the alliance to fight against Muriel and the Southern Isles. She composed herself. "I'm sure that would be acceptable. I will pass on your message to my father once he returns from his expedition. And come to think of it, this is an excellent boost to aid me in my proposal. With your Kingdom merging with the others, the combined soldiers would just be enough." She said in her best princess tone which surprised all except James. "Captain Ralof." She turned her head towards her injured Captain with a concern and a little authoritative. "Are the plans made ready for my father?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Ralof answered with a bow. "I am ready to give the proposal to His Majesty once he returns from the front lines." He frowned. "But are you sure, Your Highness?" He questioned.

"Yes. It's the only way." Lucinda whispered softly.

"What plan?" Dorrie asked. A little curious.

Lucinda gave a nod and Ralof turned to face the young and curious girl. "Have you ever heard of the Imperial Legion? Of what it stands for and what was their duty?" He threw the question.

Dorrie pondered for almost an eternity, her brain scanning through the dozen books and scrolls she had read in the castle's library, then her eyes widened in both recognition and shock. "The Imperial Legion was the main armed force of the Coronain Empire of the Tri-Kingdoms. Following the concepts of the mighty Roman military, the Imperial Legion was the most disciplined and effective military force in history, and that it preserves the and rule of law in the Empire. The Legion fought in several wars and conflicts during the waning stages of the Coronain Empire, Emperor Lucius Crassus used the Legion in his conquest of the Northern islands and for his disastrous campaign against the North herself, which completely killed two legions off including the Emperor himself." She recited as if she was reading straight from a book. Ralof was impressed.

"The Legion met, perhaps, its greatest rival during the Coronain Crisis in which 'Gates leading to the Underworld' opened all across the Empire, and the Legion was called to combat the demons. After the crisis, the fall of the Coronain Empire, the Legion was greatly weakened, and the once great fighting force declined greatly. They were totally unprepared for the Northern invasion that they suffered heavy losses, the final active Legion, the Ninth Legion, Legio IX Lupus, ventured beyond enemy lines and was never heard from again." Dorrie merely shrugged when all eyes and jaws went wide at her explanation with the exception of Ralof and Lucinda. "I read a lot." She added.

"Yes. The Ninth Legion. Their stories are whispered to wayward children at bedtimes and their songs still haunt the halls that they once roamed, they fear neither pain nor darkness, they do not fear even Death itself. Stories were past down from father to son and so on, and the stories all have the same ending that the General of the Ninth Legion would return as a black-armored legionnaire who will hunt down and kill those who have wronged their men. Which is why to this very day, commanders in the Coronain military are issued a dagger with the scabbard of the Ninth Legion." Ralof produced his dagger for all to see. It was beautifully crafted with a wolf headed pommel and the number 'nine' carved into the handle of the blade in Latin. "This reminds us to always look after our men."

"So what really happened to them?" Sofia can't help but ask. "The Ninth Legion?"

Ralof shook his head. "That I do not know. The last known reports told of them marching beyond enemy lines as they made their desperate retreat from the vengeful Northern hordes. If they ventured North, they would have settled down in the Northern Isles if not beyond." He answered truthfully.

"We will find what eventually happened one day." Lucinda reassured. "Nothing stays a secret forever." She said with a pointed look towards James. "Now, I overhead you talking behind my back just now something about convincing me to join a game?" She folded her arms as James fidgeted.

"The King's Dazzleball Cup." James answered. "Remember the game I told you about? The one which the ball changes its shape every time you throw it? Yup, it's officially made a yearly event and the day is due two weeks away. Its the same team again. The Royal Redhawks and the Dunwiddie Ducks."

"Ah….we might have a little issue about that." Prince Desmond spoke up. "Princess Jun sends her apologies, she has some important event which requires her entire family to be present. And the other bad thing is….Zandar is also unable to represent the team." He sighed. "He broke his ankle just a day ago and the royal physician strictly instructed him that he couldn't be involved in any activities until it recovers...which is about another three weeks." He said slowly. "He sends his regards though."

James smiled. "Help me inform him that there is nothing to worry about, his safety is much more important than winning the cup. Yet I believe we still can do this right Amber?" He turned towards his sister who was trying her best not to blush. "Amber?" He asked again in concern. Sofia giggled along with Jade and Ruby. "What's so funny?"

"About that…." Amber began. She gestured her hands towards Ruby and Jade. "They asked me to be the coach for their team and I humbly accepted. Sorry James..." She smiled sheepishly.

Lucinda tapped James from behind. "Hey. It's alright. I'll play on your team." She announced with a small smile. James beamed up. "Just give me the shirt and tell me where you want me."

Sofia raised her hand shortly after conversing with her friends in hushed tones. "James. I'll be in the team too." James raised an eyebrow. "No trouble this time! We agreed to it." She pointed to her friends and then herself. "Desmond? Fredrick? How about you two?" She stared at them with her two huge eyes. She had her own unique ways in convincing others to be on her side.

It was no secret that Desmond was dating Sofia, the two had became more than just friends after a few events that placed them together either in school or outside. Desmond at first was afraid that Sofia might reject him being her boyfriend but Princess Vivian and Clio convinced him otherwise. Prince James supported him, however, Amber was judgmental for the first few weeks until she saw how happy her little sister was in the arms of Desmond. No words could to express how King Roland and Queen Miranda felt when the relationship was reported to them, as long as Sofia is happy, they will be too.

Desmond broke first. "Fine." He droned. "Count me in James." Sofia squealed and embraced him.

Before Fredrick could answer, Dorrie beat him to it. "Hold it there Fred, it's only fair if you play for the royals, our team already outnumber them two to one. With you there, it'll even the odds." She said.

"Anything for you Dorrie." Fredrick said with a grin while giving a swift bow. "James! Sign me up!" The other girls giggled at his reaction.

"What did we miss?" Came an all too familiar voice. All eyes widened in surprise. Lucinda raced forward and crushed him in a long hug. "I miss you too little one."

"How did the battle went?" Lucinda asked while clinging on to his waist.

"We won. The Southern Isles could not even break the tough shield formation that we held against them, Roland led his detachment around their rear and we encircled them, they threw down their arms and surrendered when we cut down their standard."

"How about her? How about Muriel? Did you capture her dad?"

Erik sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "No. She managed to give us the slip. Even with the combined magic of both Gretel and Cedric, their powers were no match against hers. Cedric suffered a broken arm for trying to sneak up on her. Gretel broke her ankle and received a nasty sword wound to her left arm. Hansel is looking after them both. They'll return in at least a day or two." He smiled reassuringly at the gathered children sensing their concern. "I rode ahead of the main army as Roland had to make a stop to bid farewell to his father at their countryside villa." He added.

Lucinda met James' eye and they both nod. "Father. We have something...a little bit like a proposal to present towards the royal court. And we would be honored if you allow us to present to you first." She said with a diplomatic and pleading voice. Erik folded his arms but bade them to continue.

"Your Majesty," James began. His eyes twinkled as he allowed the confusion to seep in. "When was the last time you heard about the Legion?"

**Another chapter ended. The next chapter will focus on the Dazzleball game that James spoke of. It's already clear on which team she'll be on. Since Jun and Zandar couldn't make the team due to personal reasons, Desmond and Fredrick will be taking their place. I placed Amber on the village team because I wanted to show her change of heart and how having Sofia as a sister affected her life. **

**Just a fair warning for a later chapter. Things would get a little more mature (Not what you're thinking!) related and a bit off canon. It would resolve around Prince Axel (Hugo's brother) and Princess Lucinda.**

**For those who plays the games of the Elder Scrolls Series, you should be far more knowledgeable in what the Imperial Legion stands for and what they do. But since I'm bringing them into this story, the history would be changed a little here and there and would not be canon to the Elder Scrolls universe. However, certain characters from the Legion would be appearing in later chapters. But for now, let me give you a description of the hierarchy of the Coronain Legion.**

King Erik Fitzherbert – Commanding General

Princess Lucinda – First Legate

Prince James – First Legate

Prince Fredrick – First Centurion

Prince Desmond – Second Centurion

Prince Hugo- Legate

Prince Zandar – Legate

Prince Khalid – Tribune

Captain Ralof – Legate

Hansel – Legate

Gretel – Legate

**Divisions**

First Legion (5000 men, 2 auxiliary units, 50 cavalry units)

Second Legion (5000 men, 2 auxiliary units, 50 cavalry units)

Fourth Legion (9000 men, 6 auxiliary units, 40 cavalry units)

Sixth Legion (3000 men, 3 auxiliary units)

Eighth Legion (4000 men, 5 auxiliary units, 2 cavalry units)

Ninth Legion (1000 men, 7 auxiliary units, 1 cavalry unit)

Tenth Legion (2000 men, 5 auxiliary units, 4 cavalry units)

Fourteenth Legion (7000 men, 1 auxiliary unit)


	6. Teamwork

**Chapter Six**

**Teamwork**

The day is here. The day that Lucinda had been waiting for has finally arrived, after promising to play for the royal team she and her fellow mates have been training every day under the hot sun for the past two weeks. And today was finally the big day, the moment they have been waiting for, today was the day where she could finally show everyone how good she had grown in sports. James had been teaching her how to deflect a ball coming towards the net. Sofia had taken upon herself to train her in chasing after the ball. Desmond imparted what he knew about tossing a disk. Fredrick taught her how to score a goal from a long distance. Securing her amulet and tucking out her team jersey, she ran out of her room to meet the rest of her team mates in the Great Hall.

"Ready Lu?" James asked once he spotted her. "Today is the day."

"Ready as I'll ever be Legate." Lucinda replied using James' rank within the newly formed Imperial Legion much to his amusement, the two had been calling each other by their respective ranks for the past few days instead of their proper names. "Just tell me where am I suppose to be and I'll see it done."

James gave a lopsided smile. "Alright. I'll go through the plan one more time seeing that our Legate was late for the actual plan, I shall oblige her by repeating it again." That earned him a smack on the back of his head and laughter from the others. He rubbed his head with a scowl. "Right then. Fredrick, you will be in charge of spearheading the assault against the Dunwiddie Ducks as you are the best scorer within the team. Desmond, if the object changes into the flying disk, you will be in full charge of snatching it. Sofia, you're our best offender and chaser so you will be at the front. Lucinda, you're on rotational duty, so be prepared to switch with any of the others."

"What about you?" Lucinda asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sir?" She added much to his dismay.

"I'll be at the goal post. I'll prevent them from scoring to the best of my abilities." James replied. He clapped his hands together. "Alright! If that is all, let's go win that Dazzleball cup!"

And with that said, the Royal Redhawks ran out into the vast open field as their supporters went wild in the stands surrounding the field, King Erik was seated beside King Roland the Second as the Kingdom's Guest of Honor for the game. Lucinda gave a small wave to Gretel and Hansel, both who returned a nod respectively, she nodded at Ralof who gave her a thumbs up. It was no surprise that the bulk of the Coronain military was present to show their support for the royal team, but it did got the people curious and frightened at the same time, this was the first time that a foreign military organization attended events hosted by Enchancia.

"They sure changed their banners fast." Desmond whistled in awe. It was only two weeks ago that King Erik approved about reforming the Imperial Legion and now the Coronain military have already replaced their old standard for the new one. Even their swords and shields had been changed.

"That's my father for you." Lucinda replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"There comes the Dunwiddie Ducks." Fredrick informed them.

Lucinda gave a wry grin. "Those Dunwiddie ducks can't match us!" She mimicked Amber's voice which made James and Sofia hold their stomachs in laughter.

James walked forward and shook Jade's hand in a friendly manner. The announcer said his usual welcoming speech and then a whistle was blown, and before anyone knew it, the Dazzleball game had officially begin. Sofia ran for the ball, snatching it away from Dorrie and narrowly avoiding Ruby's counter-attack before giving it a sideways kick towards Fredrick. The said prince turned and rushed towards the Dunwiddie Ducks' goal post, hoping to kick the ball in, however, Jade was the goal keeper and repelled his attack. The ball was then passed to Dorrie whom retaliated with equal fury, she dodged Fredrick and Sofia before coming face to face with Desmond, she kicked the ball and watched it changed to a flying disk before it landed in the hands of Ruby.

"Over here!" Meg, a girl from the Dunwiddie Duck's team called out. "Pass it here."

"Desmond!" Lucinda hissed softly. The prince understood and rushed to his position.

Ruby tossed the disk and fell right into the trap. Desmond pounced and caught it with his hands which changed the disk back into a ball, he turned and gave it a hard kick towards Lucinda. The Coronain princess stopped the ball with her right leg, she scanned her surroundings. Meg was to her left. Ruby on her right and Dorrie was dead center. She did the completely opposite, she kicked the ball upwards and when the three ran for it, she leaped into the air and gave the ball a spinning kick.

"Wha-?!" Dorrie stared in awe.

The ball flew over the defenders and right towards Fredrick. Giving Lucinda a thumbs up, Fredrick kicked the ball right into the goal post and scored as Jade missed the ball just by a few inches. The Royal Redhawks scored a point. Despite not getting the score, Jade was beaming with happiness at how enthusiastic her team was playing in, her respect for Amber grew ten fold when the princess gave them tips on how to beat James' sports tactics. Sofia smiled warmly at her sister before running towards her team, they cheered and jumped around in circles as the crowd went nuts.

"Nice kick Lu!" Sofia congratulated her friend. "I never knew you could do that!"

Lucinda waved her off. "Practice makes perfect." She replied.

"Either way, that was awesome!" Desmond clapped his hands in admiration.

"That is why she is the First Centurion." Fredrick pointed out.

"Hear. Hear." Both Sofia and James said in unison.

A loud whistle signaled to the players that it was time to return to the game. As expected, James and Desmond swapped positions, Sofia and Fredrick doing the same. With no position left, Lucinda decided to take on the place of striker, she readied herself to face down the opponent who somehow happens to be Dorrie. The ball entered the ring and the game was on. Fredrick rushed forward but did not manage to snatch the disk from Jade, the disk was then passed to Dorrie. Lucinda charged and jumped forward when Dorrie hurled the disk, her fingers missed just by a few centimeters before she went tumbling down into the grass. The disk then reached the hands of Meg who threw it into the royal's goal post much to Desmond's dismay.

"Alright team. Huddle up!" Lucinda gathered up the royal team. "Amber has seen through James' tactics and the formation has become useless." The rest nodded in agreement. "So we have to change the way we play this game." All heads bobbed up and down. "This is what we're going to do."

Using a stick, she drew a large square in the sand and marked the Dunwiddie Ducks' positions with a letter 'X'. "I have no doubts that Dorrie will attempt to score the next time round with Ruby and Jade supporting her, the three would be unstoppable unless you outsmart them." She drew a line across the square. "We are going to use formation five. The formation that we learned over the weekends."

"The wedge formation?" James inquired. "How is that going to work?"

"James. You will be spearheading the attack, you will be in the center, they will believe that you are going to run for the ball. But you are not. You will run straight for their goal post. Leave the ball to Desmond and Sofia. Once they have it, they will pass it back to me, I will kick it towards you if it's a ball or hurl it if its a flying disk." Lucinda explained. "This is very simple but it will require the entire team to work together." She extended her hand to the center. "So who's in?"

One by one, the rest piled their hands above hers, and on the count of three they yelled at the top of their lungs. "REDHAWKS!" And then they returned to the match with determination to win.

Amber watched from her seat in confusion, she watched as the Redhawks formed an arrowhead formation with James directly at the center. Fredrick was their keeper so she didn't have to worry about him scoring the goal, however, what got her worried was that Sofia and Desmond were giving each other hand signals that she did not even know. But she could tell that they were formulating a plan to capture the ball, she watched and raised an eyebrow when James literally ran past the ball without tackling Dorrie. Then, Sofia struck, she leaped into action and snatched the ball from Dorrie before passing it back towards Desmond when she was cut off.

Desmond raised his hand and clenched his fists. Amber watched in dismay and awe when Lucinda dashed forward and gave the ball a spinning kick, the ball went soaring in the air as it changed into a flying disk. James jumped and grabbed the disk with his two hands before hurling it into the net.

The royal team had won the match.

King Roland the Second strolled down with a bright smile on his face. He was happy for his three children despite being on opposite teams, he was impressed at how matured James had grown into and how Amber's views on commoners changed within the years. James was more of a leader like him when he was younger. And Amber reminded him a lot about his own mother. Sofia was the exact copy of both his father and his mother despite not being related by blood, she has that charisma around her that made people tend to listen and she has the kindness that sets people's heart alight.

"Congratulations!" He said with a huge smile as he hugged his children. "It is my honor to present the King's Dazzleball Cup to this year's champions. The Royal Redhawks!" The crowd went crazy as cheers and hollers came from all sides. Lucinda blushed and waved nervously to the large crowd, her father gave a small wave back, Ralof inclined his head before disappearing from view, Hansel and Gretel both had small grins on their faces. "Princess Lucinda, how does it feel winning your first ever game as a member of royalty?" He inquired the young girl.

"Oh, it's interesting and fun." Lucinda replied truthfully. "But it's more towards fun."

Roland shared a heartfelt laugh with her. "Best not keep your friends waiting any longer. I'll see you in the castle later." And with that, he bid Lucinda farewell and returned to the stands.

The players met at the center of the field. They shook hands and complimented each other for their skills. James shook Jade's hand. Lucinda shook Ruby's. Desmond shook Dorrie's. Fredrick shook Meg's before they swapped. Amber congratulated her brother for winning the cup, she was secretly jealous but did not show it, she had vowed to Sofia that she would change for the better and why not start by not yelling at small matters. After all like what James had told her the year before. 'It's just a game.' She smiled and embraced Sofia and James in a sisterly hug, Sofia giggled while James groaned as his friends laughed at his reaction. While the royals were talking amongst themselves, Lucinda walked up to congratulate her old and new friends.

"Hey, nice game." Lucinda stated with a bright smile. "You were a worthy opponent Dorrie. Where did you learn to play like that? I mean...the way you tackle the ball from Desmond is amazing!" She said with awe in her voice.

Dorrie blushed at the compliment. "Oh...I pick up sports a while ago. I had nothing to do since it was the holidays and Baileywick gave me a month off despite my protests. So I decided to play some sports while I wait for the holidays to end." She answered honestly. "Truth be told. I did not expect YOU to play that well either, since you are part witch and part royal. I didn't think you had the time."

"Well, you were right about the time issue." Lucinda said with a bemused smile. "Etiquette lessons, dancing lessons, learning how to ride a horse, you name the rest. To the other royal children, you can say that they live their lives in a far more luxurious way than I did. Every night, Hansel and my father would huddle in the war room together with the high ranking nobles and generals talking about politics and the status of the tribes that had ceded to us. And every other night, Gretel would tell me stories before I go to bed." Her friends watched as she paced around in frustration.

"Then there was also my training." She sighed. "The fairies taught me the art of magic and to respect my heritage as a witch. Hansel taught me to respect the blade and how to become one with the sword. Gretel shared with me the knowledge of wandless magic. And Ralof imparted his skills with a bow. Despite his doubts about me, General Tullius saw my eagerness to learn and helped me in every way he could, he told me that wars aren't won by soldiers and swords but by the power of the mind." She said.

"Who is Tullius?" Ruby asked curiously. "He isn't here is he?"

"General Tullius..." Dorrie repeated his name, rolling the words on her tongue. She gave a huge smirk as she folded her arms. "The mighty and cunning old Lion of Corona. I know him or at least heard about him in tales told by patrons in the village inn." She said as all eyes turned to her. "They say that he is honorable and loyal beyond measure to whoever he serves but is as ruthless as any tyrant known in history. Those smart enough not to cross him earns his favor. Those who dare challenge him or offend him in any way..." She gestured to her neck to make her point. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I head of him as well!" Jade spoke up after being silent for the past one minute. "He is a brilliant strategist and he has never _ever_ lost a single battle no matter the odds set against him. Our teacher admires him dearly as he can and _will_ talk a priest out of his robes. That is how cunning he is."

"That isn't all." The girls jumped in fright when they heard a boy's voice but they relaxed when they realized it was just James, he walked beside Lucinda and held her hands. "Not only are the people talking about him. Even the members of royalty had heard about his tale. And I can tell you that King Magnus isn't easily frightened but when you mention Tullius...he turns as white as a ghost." He looked at the girls and eyed them carefully. "There was a time when I thought that my grandfather was the most wisest man in the realm. How wrong I was. My grandfather seen him clear an entire fort like it were nothing, fighting like a lion dressed as a man. And my father watched as he ended an entire war just by talking to both parties." He said in a loud voice which caught the attention of the others.

"Talking about General Tullius aren't you?" Desmond inquired with a shudder. "Thought so."

"If you truly want to meet him, I believe I can arrange a meeting of some sorts." Lucinda suggested which brought the three princes' heads to her direction. "Only...**DON'T** meddle in his private affairs...for there is more _mystery_ of that man...than even the King dare ask." At that phrase, everyone shivered.

"And that is exactly what makes the General as frightening as they say he is." James finished for her.

"I wouldn't want to get on his bad side." Fredrick said softly. "Say Dorrie, didn't you tell me something about a manor of some sort in Corona?" He questioned turning to his girlfriend.

"It's my parents' home. Or used to be. King Erik has seen fit to returned the property to its rightful owner, he didn't even ask for anything in return and just threw me the documents and key to the house. I was planning to visit the manor during the holidays. And I was trying to ask whether you wanted to follow me." Dorrie said with her two eyes focused on Fredrick.

"It'll be my deepest honor to follow you Dorrie. You know that."

Everybody shared a laugh at Fredrick's antics.

"So…." Desmond started slowly after regaining control. "What now?"

A wicked grin crossed Lucinda and James faces. The two shared a nod before looking at their friends and without any warning they snatched the ball and ran back to the field. "FREE FOR ALL!" They cried in unison. It didn't take long for Sofia and Fredrick to jump in with them. Desmond took about a minute for the message to sink in before he rushed in to the fray. Dorrie cracked her knuckles and smiled sheepishly at Jade and Ruby before running in to the game. Amber shrugged and ran after her. Jade and Ruby watched in amusement before running in to join the game.

"You're going down James!" Lucinda yelled as she tackled the ball right under his nose.

"Wait." James stared at the now empty patch of grass where the ball used to be. "How?"

Lucinda dodged Sofia's attempts. She launched herself forward causing both Ruby and Jade to tumble into the grass. Fredrick wisely stayed at the side when he saw Lucinda rushing forward. Desmond was too stunned at the sudden retreat of his friend that he didn't see Lucinda run past him. Amber tried to tackle the ball from Lucinda only to slide across the field. All that was standing before Lucinda and her goal was Dorrie. The two girls glared at each other in a friendly yet competitive way. Lucinda wanted the score. Dorrie wasn't about to let her. They charged forward at the same time. Lucinda did the unthinkable and stopped running halfway, Dorrie did not manage to stop in time leaving the goalpost undefended. Giving a sly smile. Lucinda kicked the ball into the net.

"I can't believe I got fooled!" Dorrie grumbled but was happy for the competitive game. "Nice!"

"That was a-amazing!" Sofia said in a sing-song voice.

Amber dusted off twigs and leaves that had managed to stick to her jersey. "I have to change my shoes." She turned to look at her sister. "Say Sofia, do you have any sporting shoes in mother's old shop?"

"Having a change of heart Amber?" James trailed off as he held Lucinda close. "I always thought you only bought shoes from the royal shoe maker."

Amber folded her arms. "Very funny."

"Twins..." Fredrick shook his head in despair. "...only causes trouble."

The next thing that happened made everyone laugh. Amber and James chasing after Fredrick around the field demanding for an apology.

**Finally. Another chapter done! I apologize for the very short chapter but I don't have much to write for this one since it mainly focused on the Dazzleball Game. General Tullius has been introduced and will play a more pivotal role in future chapters. **

**Chapter Seven. Hexley Hall makes an appearance. Amy and Elliot, the two young pranksters that caused trouble in the TV series are back but not as the trouble makers this time. Gretel was chosen by fairies to substitute the magic lessons as she was the only one they trusted. And for Lucinda, trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. First day in Royal Prep...Pranks. Bubbles. Wizards. Magic.**


	7. Old Faces

**Chapter Seven**

**Old Faces**

Lucinda was enjoying the rest of her morning in contentment. It was her first official day in Royal Preparatory Academy and she already met almost all of the students, friends had been made all by a simple curtsy. James and Sofia had taken it upon themselves to show her around the school, Amber would have joined them if she hadn't had dancing lessons. The trio wandered around the school grounds until it was time for their sorcery class. The fairies had left to attend a major convention and left Gretel in charge of the class that day. The trio took their seats. James sat beside Clio. Sofia beside Desmond. Lucinda beside Fredrick. The lesson started normally until two students ran in.

"You two again?!" James stood up angrily.

Sofia and the other students rose to their feet with their wands out and ready. Lucinda remained seated with a confused expression at her friends' sudden anger towards two other students dressed in robes.

"Wai...wait...wait!" One of the students stuttered out with her hands in the air.

"Who are they?" Gretel inquired curiously.

"Students from Hexley Hall." Desmond answered with a frown. "They come to Royal Prep yearly during Hexley Hall Prank Day. They once tried to fill the school with bubbles but Sofia put a stop to that." At Sofia's incredulous look he quickly added. "With some help of course."

By then, the girl had already recovered from her breathlessness. She still kept her hands up to prove her point that she wasn't a threat. James wasn't convinced yet. "Listen to me. You have to! I know what I did last year and I am sorry! I am truly sorry for all that!" She ratted off. One could tell that she was frightened and nervous at being stared by one if not three angry princes. She took out her wand and tossed it aside to further prove her point. "I am not here to cause any pranks!"

"Amy's right..." The other student said softly. "You have to trust us..."

"Elliot has went bonkers!" Amy blurted out. "He's threatening to blow up the entire school!" She looked towards her fellow student. "Tell them Kurt! Tell them what Elliot said to you!"

Kurt shuffled his feet nervously. "Well...He told me that he wanted to plant a firecracker in the basement of Royal Prep so that the whole of Hexley Hall could enjoy fireworks. He wanted me to join him in the prank but I knew it was dangerous and I swore last year that I would leave you all alone. So I told him no. He left angrily and refused to talk to me again. I ran and told the Headmaster. He instructed me to come here to warn the Headmistresses of Royal Prep."

"Where are they?" Amy asked anxiously.

"Um..." Sofia started and shot a glare at her brother and Desmond to silence them. "The Headmistresses are away at a fairy convention. Gretel is in charge." She pointed to the only adult standing in the room. Both students' eyes went huge as saucers. "I take it you know about her?"

"Know about her?" Amy repeated. "I admire her!" She gave a swift bow. "Amy Granger. At your service Miss Gretel. It's an honor to meet you."

"Kurt Longbottom." Kurt introduced himself. "A real pleasure to see you in person Miss Gretel."

"Ah...um...the honor's all mine." Gretel looked at the two curiously. "So what is this I hear about your friend. Elliot is it?" Both students bobbed their heads up and down. "Any ideas where we can find him?" She asked.

"I'm not too sure ma'am." Amy replied honestly. "Elliot has his own hideout that we don't even know."

"He could be anywhere!" Kurt proclaimed. "We have to stop him. He's our friend but I won't hesitate to use my wand against him if I have to." He added swiftly.

Sensing the repentance of the two pranksters. James and Desmond stood up glaring at those who wanted to retort. "We'll offer whatever aid you desire. You two are masters of pranks and antics." James spoke for everyone. "So let me ask you one question. How can we prank another prankster?" He inquired. All eyes now shifted from James to the two former troublemakers.

"Elliot is playful at times." Kurt answered truthfully. "But he can be quite serious if he wants to."

"Bubbles. He likes bubbles." Amy piped in. "He gets distracted by them easily..." She trailed off.

"Relax Amy." Princess Vivian reassured from her seat. "You are among friends here."

Amy nodded. "I know..." She said softly. "But the things I've done to you all..."

"Is in the past." Fredrick interrupted before any of the other princes could. He gave a hard gaze towards any who would speak out against them. "She is sorry for her errors. Can't you all just give her another chance. Kurt too. If the two of them are willing to turn on their friend and stop all these pranks, I would gladly stand by their side." He chided. James nodded in agreement. Desmond supported his speech. Zandar and the rest looked down in embarrassment. "Right. Without further ado, what are your plans?"

Kurt looked thoughtful. "First, we have to ensure that all the other students are safely away. I don't want to risk any injuries if Elliot's prank gets way too overboard and destroy the entire school." He suggested. He was relived to see that many of the royal students were satisfied with his idea. "Second, we have to find a way to lure Elliot out of his hiding spot. Corner him and take him down by force if necessary. I would rather put an end to his pranks by the means of speech but if it gets out of hand..."

"We'll figure something out." Lucinda spoke out for the first time. "I rather settle this matter peacefully than harming another student from a different school, let's just try to settle this as calmly as we can. As you said before, this Elliot is playful, we may be able to use that to our advantage." She added. "But we'll go with your plan first Kurt. I agree that the other students must be safely escorted away."

"The Legion is operating out of Enchancia. The Ninth is stationed in Dunwiddie, it'll take them at least two hours to ready their horses and arrive." James said slowly. "That's if we manage to get a message out from Royal Prep." He paced up and down the classroom with a hard face. "Unless...Miss Gretel..."

Gretel smiled and nodded. "Yes. I know what you want Prince James. I will get to it." She said which made James feel much more at ease. "Try to hold out until I return. And stay out of trouble." She reminded before disappearing in a flash. James smiled and turned to the other students.

"Here's what we're going to do. Desmond. Sofia. Fredrick. Zandar. Vivian. You four are in charge of gathering the other students and getting them to safety, get them to the forest and hide out until the situation clears out. No matter what. The younger students MUST leave the school premises. If the older ones wishes to help us then let them. We need as much manpower as we can." He gave out his command.

The four quickly left to their duties and rounding up the wayward students around Royal Prep. Amber arrived in the room a short while later with Hildegard, Jun and a few other princes. "We're here to lend whatever aid we can." She announced. Her sentence brought relieved smiles to many. "Where do you need us?" She asked turning her head to her twin brother.

"Around the school." James replied. "I need one group at the entrance and another in the Headmistresses office. Who knows what Elliot might be thinking of? He might be after the spell book for all we know." Amber nodded in agreement before splitting those who came with her into two. "Lu, can I count on you to cast a charm outside of the school? In case….just in case our plan fails."

Lucinda got up from her seat. "It'll work." She reassured. "Trust me." She added with a small peck on James' right cheek. "Amy. Can you come with me. I may need your help in casting the charm."

"Of course!" Amy picked up her fallen wand and followed. "You're new here?"

"Yes."

"You don't look royal though as in the way you act."

"That's because I'm not royal."

"Huh?"

"I was adopted." Lucinda said softly hearing Amy gasped in surprise behind her. "I never knew my father. Never seen him nor heard of him. I grew up with my mother, she never mentioned who was my father and I never bothered to ask her. We stayed in Enchancia for the first eleven years of my life, I wasn't always that kind though, I was playful and a little naughty at times. Sofia changed me for the better." She retold her tale as Amy listened in silence. "Then my mother received an invitation from her oldest friend. My current father. His Majesty the King of Corona. Erik Fitzherbert."

"I know of him!" Amy proclaimed in wonder. "He's a force to be reckon on the field of battle. His blade itself has tasted the blood of many wizards and witches alike, his name is rarely spoken in Hexley Hall as many feared him. Even the upstarts." At Lucinda's raised eyebrow. "Pure blooded wizards."

"Yes. But he did it all because of me." Lucinda said as memories flooded her eyes. "When my mother died. I fled the castle and arrived in a small little village called Hampton in the Kingdom of the Southern Isles. The people took me in and welcomed me, but when a group of rouge witches struck the village. They turned on me. Friendly neighbors became the first to hurl insults. Friends became false witnesses. I was frightened and alone. The Wizard Council arrived to oversee my trial and sentenced me to death…..but….King Erik...he saved me. His army attacked the execution point. They slaughtered the wizards and everyone else. The entire village of Hampton was put to the torch."

Amy shuddered. "I won't get on his bad side." She muttered after hearing the tale. "We at Hexley Hall remembered how he marched against the Ministry of Magic when they sentenced his sister to Azkaban for underage usage of magic. She was only eleven when the Aurors came to arrest her. Her friends were torn between their family and friendship, yet, they chose her over their own parents and informed the then Prince Erik of her sister's imprisonment. He mobilized his forces and crossed into the border of Enchancia without informing former King Roland the First, the Minister of Magic, a pompous fool by the name of Crassus Malfoy was visiting Hexley Hall when the doors came crashing down."

"The Aurors did not even have the time to draw their wands when the swords and spears of the Coronain military found their necks, those that did fire off spells were quickly put down within the next second. As the Aurors were forced to the wall, the army parted allowing a young man to pass, Prince Erik was nothing but furious and enraged at what he heard about his sister. He hurled the Minister by the scruff of his neck and demanded them to release her immediately or face the consequences. Being a pure blooded wizard, the Minister sneered and spat in his face. The result was disastrous. All seventeen Aurors had their throats and chests pierced by Coronain steel. Prince Erik himself stabbed the Minister repeatedly in the abdomen. The Headmaster of Hexley Hall then immediately took sides with Prince Erik and revealed the location of the accursed prison, but when the Coronain Navy arrived at Azkaban...it was already too late." Amy spoke in a whispered tone.

"What..." Lucinda took a deep breath. Inside she already had a faint idea of the answer but she just needed to ask. "...What happened to my father's sister?"

"Elise did not survive the harshness of Azkaban. The Ministry of Magic was dissolved and the Malfoy family line was exterminated leaving the youngest alive under the threat of death should he ever return." Amy replied with a look of sadness. "I never met the girl. But our seniors all say that she is as sweet as a rose and had nothing but kindness for all even to her bullies. The professors in Hexley Hall still missed her warm smiles that lighten the day and her soft laugh that brightens their mood."

Lucinda said nothing else. She thought of asking her father during the night but decided against the idea. This was his own story to tell, she would wait until he is ready, until then she would behave as if nothing happened at all. The two continued on in silence. None talked to each other until they reached the main entrance of Royal Prep. "Let's get this started." Lucinda spoke first. Amy nodded in response and raised her wand. "We need a strong protective charm around the school so if Elliot does succeed in his plan at least the blast would leave the forest alone." She added.

"Understood." Amy said sending another spell into the air. She glanced over to Lucinda and noticed that she wasn't using any wand and yet she was throwing spells around. "Wandless magic?"

"Yeap." Lucinda answered with a grin. "Gretel taught me. It's kind of a strange feeling at first but you'll get used to it after casting spells for at least a month." She sent a barrage of spells into the sky forming a large dome around the school premises. "Right. That should do it." The two girls smiled at their handiwork. "Let's head back to the class and see what James has in store for us."

"Agreed." Amy smiled and trotted after her new found friend.

James looked up and beamed when he saw the two girls returning. "Hey." He greeted. "Guess what? We both have came up with a plan to trick Elliot into coming out of his hiding spot." He gestured to both him and Kurt. Lucinda snorted while Amy stared with wide eyes. "What?" He asked.

"You and Kurt working together?" Lucinda asked incredulously. "Amy told me about the hatred you bore each other." She pointed at the two boys accusingly. "Definitely not my boyfriend!"

James pouted. "Aw...We'd both decided to put those rivalries behind us for good." Kurt gave a nod of agreement. "And we will work together to stop Elliot. One way or another." He added.

"This will only end in chaos." Amy muttered under her breath. "So what is your brilliant plan?"

Kurt smirked at Amy. "Considering the fact that our dear Elliot loves to play with bubbles, we will conjure as much bubbles as we can and lure him to the massive field right in front of Royal Prep. Once he's there. We will use our sticking spell and stick him to the ground. That is Plan A. If that were to fail, we have another plan, but it might hurt Elliot a little." He used his fingers to estimate the amount. "Just a little bit. We'll lure him into the greenhouse with the same technique, and once he's in there, Prince Desmond will sprinkle some Venomous Tentacula seeds and hopefully the plant will scare him to submission...and we have to destroy the plant later." He finished with a grin.

"I like Plan A better." Lucinda concluded with nods from Amy and those present. "Try not to hurt him in any way. He is your friend after all." She pointed out. Kurt nodded in embarrassment. "Right! Let's get to work! Time for the prankster to get pranked!" She proclaimed as the others burst into cheers.

And that is exactly what they did. Kurt and James teamed up and hid themselves behind the stables as they waited for Elliot to take the bait. Amy and Lucinda started spraying bubbles all over the vast field with hopes of Elliot falling for the trap. Sofia and the others waited at the safety of the forest with the other younger students, Fredrick, Zandar and the other princes wanted to go back and help but the stern orders from Sofia made them stay their hand. Only Desmond was allowed to return. Desmond grabbed his bag of seeds and waited via the greenhouse just in case the plan failed. Amber stared anxiously by the main entrance with Hildegard, their fingers twitching with each sound heard.

The waiting seemed like an eternity until Kurt and Amy narrowed their eyes at the sound of a happy and excited high pitched voice, their suspicions came true when Elliot came bouncing into the field while popping the bubbles with glee unaware of the trap around him. Kurt signaled to Amy. The two emerged from their hiding spots respectively and confronted Elliot, James and Lucinda remained hidden unless help is required. Elliot was startled at first but quickly composed himself.

"Came to join me?" Elliot asked innocently.

"No." Amy answered. Her wand trained on her friend. "We came to stop you!"

"Oh and what do you plan to do about it mudblood?" Elliot retorted. Amy blanched at the insult.

"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT AMY!" Kurt growled as magic gathered at the tip of his wand.

"Ah Longbottom to the rescue!" Elliot said with a bright smile before it was replaced with a frown. "I should have known." He sneered. "Defender of the mudbloods."

"This is between you and me Elliot. Leave Amy and the rest out of this!" Kurt said in a menacing voice. "When I befriended you I always thought you would respect all no matter the differences in blood, but now I see that I was misguided and blinded by your stupidity! I always believed that I could sway your misguided mind that not everything is what you have believed to be, I tried introducing you to the arts of the mundane world, at first it was working but then...you snapped." His voice had gotten softer and softer. "What happened to you Elliot? You were never like this."

"That is my business Kurt!" Elliot snapped back violently. "Stay out of it."

"Not until you back down." Kurt retorted bringing his wand to attention.

Elliot smirked. "You were always the reckless one among the three of us." And without another warning, he sent a flaming spell towards a stunned Kurt. James took this moment to interfere and deflected the flames with his silver sword. "What?!" Elliot doubled back in surprise.

"I told you Elliot." Amy stated boldly. "The royals are much more smarter than any of us. Even their swords can slice your spells in half." She raised her wand. "And don't think for one minute that you are my friend that I won't harm you. I won't hesitate to stun you after hearing those nasty comments."

Lucinda took this as her role to enter the game. Elliot took a step back when he saw several more royal students appearing from the school main entrance, he snapped his wand towards the new arrivals but doubled back in shock when he saw even more younger students rushing at him angrily. Sofia gave a sheepish smile towards her brother when she joined him. Vivian, Fredrick and Zandar ran to Lucinda's side. Amber, Hildegard, Clio and Jun ran down the steps of Royal Prep brandishing their wands. Elliot soon found himself surrounded on all sides by two school mates and several enraged princesses and princes Though outnumbered, Elliot tried to retaliate by sending a stunner towards an unsuspecting Amy but she was saved by Zandar's protective charm. Amy bowed her head in gratitude when her eyes met Zandar.

"Hey. It's all in the past now." Zandar reassured with his trademark grin. "And you." He pointed at Elliot. "Will regret that you ever threw that spell!" He yelled. "At a girl nonetheless? Where is your sense of honor?" The response he received was a stinging hex. "Oh….you're so going down."

"Let's take him!" James growled as the other princes roared in agreement at the usage of force, Kurt's voice could be heard inside the crowd which wasn't surprising.

"WAIT!" Sofia exclaimed halting the princes in their steps. "Let's not jump into conclusions here. You would not harm another student now would you?" She asked. The princes looked at each other. "That's right. We're better than this. We should probably-" She was cut off when a stunner Elliot sent struck her from behind sending her flying to the steps of Royal Prep, landing a few feet in front of a horrified Amber.

"Oh that's it!" Lucinda snapped back to reality and balled her fists. "Forget what I said earlier!"

Amy growled under her breath. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT ELLIOT!" She roared.

"You..." Kurt pointed his finger accusingly. "You harmed a royal student!"

"SO?" Elliot retorted with a sneer. "And there will be plenty more where that came from!"

"Someone is going to be in so much pain." Amber said coldly, the royal students near her nodded in agreement. Sofia was one of the most popular students in Royal Prep, she had changed many of their views on commoners and many of them owed her their gratitude for ever introducing them to commoner activities. And when everyone saw her being struck by a stunner that sent her flying and tumbling a few feet, they were easily angered, many wanted Elliot to pay dearly including Hildegard.

"I have a wand and I know magic." Elliot spat proudly. "And you all may have wands but your magic is weak! You need further proof? That princess is one of them! Look how pathetic she is." He howled with laughter as many frowned and glared at him. He did not notice Lucinda extending her right hand. His eyes suddenly went wide. His wand clattered to the grass. His two hands immediately went to his neck as he started chocking himself, everyone stared at him in confusion.

James' eyes turned towards Lucinda who was glaring at Elliot furiously with her right hand out. He dropped his sword and dashed across the field and tackled Lucinda to the ground. "Lu! Snap out of it!" He chided and shook her shoulders but she was still seething in anger. When he tackled Lucinda, the power that was making Elliot choke himself stopped abruptly, however, before the boy wizard could gather up his wand. Kurt sent a powerful hex towards him knocking him out in one blow. Amy rushed towards Lucinda while Kurt rushed to Sofia. Fredrick alerted Desmond and the two rounded on Elliot.

"Princess Lucinda." Amy started worriedly. "It's alright. Elliot is taken cared of." She said softly.

Lucinda shook her head and hugged her knees. "Oh...what have I done?" She whimpered.

James shared a look with Amy before turning back. "You did in self-defense. He was literally bad-mouthing our friends. And you did it to him because you cared for us. I can't fault you for that."

"What of the others?" Lucinda bit her lips.

"Nope." Amy shook her head. "I would do the same."

"We can't judge you for that." Zandar added from his position behind James. "Right?" He looked at the others who nodded their heads in agreement. "See they all agree."

Amy knelt beside Lucinda and tapped James on the shoulder. "You should see to your sister. I think I can handle traumatic distress on the field of battle." She said quietly. James smiled and jogged off to Sofia, who had awaken and was being treated by Kurt while being chided by Amber. "You sure are lucky for having a boyfriend like Prince James. He is dashing, handsome and yet he is protective of his family. And you are considered his family now. You should see his worried face when you went all Kingdom Come on Elliot." She said with a sly smile.

"Oh...I know what you're thinking!" Lucinda accused with a pointed look. "But we're still underage."

"What makes you think I was talking about _that_?" Amy said innocently with a shrug. "Anyway, he is the luckiest prince in the realm." She added. "Just try not to snog too much." She gave a seductive smile and elbowed Zandar who was already howling with laughter. She pulled Lucinda to her feet and gave her a pat on the back. Their small reunion was disrupted by several horsemen galloping into the field with Gretel at their helm, Amy flinched a little at the Coronain banner but Lucinda held her close.

"Wow just wow!" Was the first words that came out of Gretel's mouth as she stared at the unconscious form of Elliot being guarded by Desmond and Fredrick. "You all managed to take a fully pure blooded wizard out. I'm impressed!" She turned towards her brother and held out her hands. "Hansel."

Hansel grumbled and pulled out a sack of coins.

Gretel took her reward with glee as she answered James' curious face. "My bloke of a brother and I made a bet about the outcome. I told him that the royal students will be able to solve the problem by the time we get there." She jerked her thumb towards her brother. "But he. He said that we would arrive to a full blown war where we must fight to ensure your survival. That's how he is." She quickly added sensing James' incredulous look. "So what are you going to do with him?" She pointed at Elliot.

"We'll take him before the Headmaster for punishment." Kurt answered politely. "Most likely it would be expulsion since he is underage and can't be sentenced to prison. He did harm a royal student after all."

Hansel nodded in acceptance. "It's getting late." He announced. "My men and I will ensure that you reach back Hexley Hall with not a single scratch."

"You're too kind sir." Amy responded with a polite bow. "I guess this is it." She said after turning to face Lucinda. "I hope we'll meet again-oof!" Her words was cut off when the Princess of Corona pulled her into a massive bear hug. The two new friends stood there embracing each other, the other royal students were immediately shooed away by Zandar who wanted to give them their own personal time.

"We will. You can count on it." Lucinda reassured with a smile.

Amy sniffed. "This is so weird." She said. "I mean….I just met you! And now I'm crying that I may not see you again." She allowed a few stray tears to roll down her cheeks. She was surprised when Lucinda brushed away her tears and looked right into her eyes.

"Don't you ever say that Amy Granger." Lucinda stated in a serious tone. "We will meet again. The realm may be huge but friendship drives us closer. I will look for you one day Amy." She reassured.

Amy nodded with a sniff and allowed Lucinda to walk her to a free horse.

Kurt smiled as he shook hands with James. "Nice planning mate."

"You too." James replied with an equal smile. "We should arrange a meeting one day."

"We should." Kurt agreed. "Don't worry." He quickly said when he noticed James' pointed glare towards an unconscious Elliot. "I will make doubly sure that he gets expelled from Hexley Hall and his wand taken away for good or if better snapped." He added. James was satisfied with the answer but Desmond was not. The small shy prince was enraged when he heard what happened to Sofia, he nearly drew his sword on Elliot if it wasn't for the sharp ears of Princess Clio that they managed to stop him.

"You'd better." Desmond said coldly. "Or I'll hunt him down myself." He sneered.

"Right…." Kurt said awkwardly but extended his hand to Desmond. "It was nice working with you."

Desmond's glare soften and he smiled. "And I you." He shook the offered hand.

Kurt could officially say that he has became friends with Desmond, James and Fredrick. Amy only managed to talk to Lucinda as the two of them were stuck together most of the time, but she did formally apologize to Vivian and Sofia for applying the slippery spell outside their class last year. And the two princesses had forgiven her and were willing to start a relationship with her, Amber wasn't easy to please but she did show gratitude for the spells that managed to heal her sister. Amy smiled and waved to her three new found friends, she was taken aback when Amber managed a small wave.

And with the farewells done. Kurt and Amy left with Hansel and his men with Elliot as prisoner. Lucinda stood and waved until they disappeared beyond the trees. Soon, she could see the flying carriages arriving to pick them up. The royal students hugged each other good bye before hopping onto their respective carriages. Lucinda was about to leave when she heard the familiar 'pop' sound signaling the return of three fairies, she sighed and turned around to greet the three Headmistresses. The three fairies chose that moment to return and started bombarding Gretel with questions.

"How did the students behave?" Miss Merryweather started.

"There isn't trouble is there?" Miss Fauna asked glancing around at the minor destruction.

"Why is that patch of grass on fire?" Miss Flora added with a frown.

Gretel swallowed and glanced towards Lucinda for help.

"Nope. Everything went well." Lucinda reassured with a sheepish grin, nudging James on the way.

"The fire has to do with our experiment." James threw in glancing towards his sisters for support.

"We have to calculate how strong the sun was." Sofia lied but wasn't that good at it.

"And we concluded that it was very powerful." Amber stated with a roll of her eyes.

The three fairies were not amused.

The four glanced at each other and sighed. "It was actually a fight." They said in unison.

"We know." Miss Flora said. "We saw how you all worked together to lure out young Elliot and we listened on as young Kurt confronted his friend which turned out to be quite a fight." She smiled sweetly. "We're just glad that none of you are injured." Sofia muttered softly under her breath. "Oh! Of course. Come with me Sofia. We will see that arm of yours." She motioned the youngest to follow her.

"Go on. I'll meet you all at the castle." Sofia said as she hobbled after Miss Flora.

"Oh no. I'm not letting you out of my sight again." Amber chided as she tagged along much to Sofia's dismay as another lecture started. "You think you can drive me away that easily? Dear sister of mine. What would mother say if you return with another broken arm?" She nagged and nagged.

James rolled his eyes and extended his arm. "Well milady, should we head back to the castle?" He asked in his most charming voice he could find.

Lucinda rolled her eyes. "I think that's exactly what we should do." She took his offered arm and the two boarded the carriage bound for Enchancia with the instruction for the driver to return later to pick up Sofia and Amber.

**Enchancia Castle**

The royal flying carriage came to a stop in front of the main entrance of the Great Hall. James helped Lucinda off the carriage and proceeded into the castle where they were greeted by an anxious Dorrie with loads of questions. "You're alright! When we saw Miss Gretel and her brother riding out of Dunwiddie at top speed towards the direction of Royal Prep, we feared that something might have gotten wrong." She started blabbering much to James' amusement. "What happened back there? I've never seen Miss Gretel so worried before." She asked the first question.

"Minor setback." Lucinda answered casually. "A small problem with a certain pure blooded wizard."

"Elliot." James spat the name out as if he had eaten a pea. "That git almost killed Sofia."

Dorrie gasped, her two hands covering her mouth automatically. "WHAT?" She stumbled back in shock before anger took control of her. "WHERE IS HE?" She exclaimed out loud.

James and Lucinda each took hold of her shoulders while stroking her back. "Hey Dorrie, relax, calm down. Take a deep breath." Dorrie complied with James' command. "Don't think so much about it. Elliot has been dealt with severely. He would most likely face expulsion from Hexley Hall."

"As much as I want to pity him…." Dorrie said after calming down. "I won't."

"No one will." Lucinda added with a shake of her head. "How did you know something was amiss?"

"Technically I didn't." Dorrie replied with a small smile. "Meg saw her group of legionnaires yelling out for their comrades to follow. She managed to hear the words 'Trouble' and 'Royal Prep', she ran into class and ratted everything to all of us. Ruby and Jade grew pale after hearing it. I was about to go down to Royal Prep to get you guys to show them that you're alright but now that you're here…."

"It's okay." James said with a smile. "We may be weary and tired but we can talk to Ruby and Jade."

Dorrie nodded in gratitude. "Thanks. They're in the guestrooms resting. The Queen is with them. King Roland and King Erik have went out to inspect the newly formed Legion. They'll be back in another hour or so." She informed them. "Now, I need to wait for Sofia and Amber. You two should go ahead."

"We will." Lucinda reassured and the two walked up the stairs.

James knocked on the door to the only occupied guestroom. Queen Miranda opened the door and smiled when she saw that her son is alright, she opened the door wider and allowed him to enter, Lucinda trotted in after him. "Hey you two." He called. Ruby and Jade snapped their eyes to him.

"Prince James!" Ruby squealed and leaped off the bed. "You're alright!"

"Thank the gods." Jade breathed a sigh of relief. "When we heard what Meg said we were worried."

"We're alright. Sofia broke her left arm and suffered fractures to her left leg and shoulder. She is being treated by Miss Flora as we speak." James said. Miranda gasped as did Jade and Ruby. "It was Elliot. A pure blooded wizard who did it to her. But don't worry. He will be punished, I made sure of that."

"Well he'd better!" Ruby huffed in anger. "Anyone who hurts Sofia is considered enemy."

"Agreed!" Jade bobbed her head up and down in agreement.

"As much as we love to stay and chat." James trailed off with a glance towards a sleepy Lucinda. "My lovely girlfriend is sleepy and needs rest. It has been a long and tiring day for her and all of us."

"We understand." Jade reassured. "We'll wait here for Sofia and then return home by night."

"Oh no you two won't." Miranda said sternly. "I will not have you two walk home alone at night. No. You two will be staying in the castle until tomorrow morning. I will have servants deliver this message to your mothers so that they will know you're in capable hands." Ruby and Jade smiled and thanked her profusely. "You don't have to thank me. Any friend of Sofia is considered a friend of mine."

Lucinda and James held hands and removed themselves from the guestroom quietly.

"Night." Lucinda said as she disappeared into her room.

James smiled in content and headed for his own. When he opened the door to his room, he saw a neatly decorated envelope waiting for him by the bed, and there was also a golden pin nearby. He tore open the envelope and read the letter.

**To:**_ Prince James of Enchancia_

_I'm not one for writing much. I prefer the arts of speech. But since I was given a week long detention, that means no going out of the school grounds and no lessons. Only the library and your dorms are allowed. So why not I take my first few hours of detention to pen down a letter to my very first friend of royalty. You should be glad to hear that Elliot has his wand snapped by own hands and he was expelled from Hexley Hall for good, he is currently in the dungeons though. It's considered his punishment for striking Princess Sofia. But I still think a much more heavier punishment suits him best._

_But who am I to argue. The Headmaster always gets his way. One way or another. You should have been here to see how Elliot screamed and cried in rage when I broke his wand in two, he had to be carried out of the Great Hall by a couple of strong Seven Year students. The good thing about this is:_

_Everyone is happy that the rivalries between Royal Prep and Hexley Hall had come to an end._

_I hope that we will meet again one day James. You are a great friend. And probably the best prankster I ever know. __Which is why I'm giving you my family's pin. And don't you DARE give it back. It's a gift so it's now yours whether you like it or not. I consider you a brother James….._

**From: **_Kurt Longbottom. Fellow prankster and friend._

James looked at the golden pin and stuffed it into his pocket with a small smile.

Lucinda received a similar letter but with Amy's handwriting.

**To:**_ Princess Lucinda. Friend. Sister._

_Well, hope everything is well on your end. Lord Hansel returned us to Hexley Hall and had a feast thrown for his help in bringing Elliot back, the man is shy to face large crowds but the scowl he keeps on his face helps a lot. And I mean a LOT. The Headmaster was none too pleased with our adventure, and gave both me and Kurt a week long detention for sneaking out of school, but we don't mind. Our friends are hailing us as heroes since we brokered a peace between the royals and us at Hexley Hall._

_Surprised isn't it? I was too. I did not expect that the majority of the school wanted to put those rivalries aside a long time ago, and when Kurt bragged about being friends with Prince James and a few others. They clapped for him. They literally did. Even some of the pure blood wizards left their seats and ran over to give him a pat on the back or to shake his hand for ending the rivalry. I too received the same standing ovation when I revealed that I met the daughter of the fearsome King Erik Fitzherbert. I have to say that it feels good. Some of the bullies are giving me a wide berth after my proclamation._

_But now to the matter at hand I suppose. Elliot received a long lecture by the Headmaster and several professors before getting the worst thing that could ever happen to a student. He was stripped off his robes and his wand was snapped by Kurt with the permission of the Headmaster. He was then thrown into the dungeons beneath the school for the next four weeks, no matter what happens or what letter his parents sent he will stay there. The dungeon isn't a nice place I have to tell you. Been in there once and that was it. Elliot won't be troubling Royal Prep no more. Not if I could help it._

_You've been a very good friend Lucinda. And I was glad that you chose me as your partner today._

**From: **_Amy Granger. Your loyal friend._

Lucinda and James put down their letters at the same time and glanced towards the window. The two smiled in unison as they watched two figures on brooms speeding away at top speed while giving each other a high-five.

**That concludes Chapter 7! Amy and Kurt are now friends with most of the royal students and they will be returning in further chapters as reinforcements. Elliot will also return but not as a good guy I'm afraid. Amy Granger is a homage to Hermione Granger. A character from J. Harry Potter series. The same for Kurt Longbottom. Kurt is a tribute to Neville Longbottom. Both Amy and Kurt are considered Hermione's and Neville's ancestors respectively.**

**Chapter 8 will focus on James trying to get Lucinda to dance together with him in the upcoming ball. But as always, he's a nervous wreck, he doesn't know what to do or how to pop the question. He will require the help from his two sisters, Gretel and Hansel, Dorrie and Amy. Hugo makes a brief appearance.**


	8. Red Wassailia

**Chapter Eight**

**Red Wassailia **

Nervous. Yes. That is exactly how Prince James of Enchancia was feeling right about now, his father had just made an official announcement that this year's Wassailia would be celebrated in the castle itself where all are invited. Yet, he was trembling with fear as he awaited the flying carriage from the Kingdom of Corona to arrive, he had presented two Pegasus as a gift for Lucinda's fourteenth birthday. It has been six months since the small incident at Royal Prep, he smiled as he recalled the memory. The rivalry that once separated both Hexley Hall and Royal Prep have long been forgotten, now the two schools merged their magic classes together. And the new scheme proved to be a brilliant move towards the students of both school since there had been no complains of bullies and fights after the unification.

James had to admit that his friendship with Kurt Longbottom had grown over the months, the two were nearly inseparable and their bond has strengthen greatly. Amy Granger was another witch that he had made friends with, she had shown him that she was willing to turn over a new leaf and started to help him out in his magic class which he was apparently failing in. And of course, in his group of friends was Zandar and Lucinda. The rest of the students in both Royal Prep and Hexley Hall have decided to call them: The Five Musketeers. And that was a compliment.

He had invited both Amy and Kurt to the Wassailia Ball as well, Amy replied with an excited squeal during class last week, Kurt politely declined the invitation as he had something important on that day itself. The main gates of the castle swung open revealing the escorting party of Lucinda. Having cleared his head of memories, he walked down the steps. He smiled when he spotted a gold carriage entering the main gates of the castle, the soldiers at his side immediately snapped to attention when a servant opened the carriage door revealing the most prettiest girl he had ever seen. He turned and gave a curt nod to the only prince that was brave enough to court his twin sister. Prince Hugo.

"LEGION!" Bellowed Prince Hugo as he drew his sword in salute. "SALUTE YOUR LEGATE!"

All at once. A hundred swords were raised high. Lucinda stepped out of the carriage wearing a simple yet neatly decorated dress, her amulet hanging at her neck and her pet falcon nestled on her right shoulder. She gave a curtsy to James while he bowed before her. "Nice to have you back in Enchancia Legate." James broke the silence by speaking first. He tried his best not to laugh at Lucinda's darkening scowl directed at him, he quickly took hold of her hands and escorted her up the steps introducing her to Hugo along the way. "This is Hugo. One of Sofia's rivals during Derby practices a long time ago, but now they're best friends and inseparable no matter what. I always believed that the two would end up as a couple but it appears that Sofia had eyes for shy princes."

"Hey!" Sofia's voice resonated from the Great Hall.

Hugo chuckled. "Nice to meet you milady Lucinda." He greeted with his trade smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties to see to. I hope you enjoy your stay in Enchancia." He bowed before stepping aside. Lucinda looked at James curiously.

"Prince Hugo takes his job as a legionnaire quite seriously." James explained. "Now, we should head inside and I can tell you more about Sofia's private life." He said out quite loudly. Sofia's yell followed.

James ignored her protests and continued on with a smirk. "You should see how nervous Desmond was when he came here to ask mother and father permission to court Sofia, father was scowling all the way to frighten him a little but he already had consented to their friendship months ago!" A book directed at his chest came flying at high speed. He rubbed his chest gingerly with a scowl directed towards Sofia whom was sitting by the hearth to warm her feet with her three pets, she stuck her tongue out childishly and approached the couple.

"Welcome back Lucinda!" Sofia greeted her old friend with a hug. And then she punched James in the shoulder. "Prat." She said before returning back to her reading. "Go on. Dorrie is waiting."

James glared at his young sister as Lucinda pulled him away before a sibling quarrel could erupt, she was shaking with laughter the entire way, her shoulders bobbed up and down when James' face only grew redder and redder. Dorrie spotted them and made her way over to them with a bounce in her step, she had been promoted from a simple maid to Lady-in-Waiting for Sofia. It's considered a high position for someone of her age. She beamed brightly at the couple and grinned madly.

"Lucinda!" She squealed in delight. Crushing her friend in a bone cracking hug. She parted from their hug shortly later. "You're here for Wassailia?" She asked with a wide grin. "Wait. Stupid question. Of course you're here for Wassailia!" She beamed ignoring James' stifled laughter. "Is Uncle Erik here with you?" She inquired.

Over the past six months, she had grown closer and closer to the foreign King that knew her birth parents, the two had came to an understanding that though they were not related by blood, the two would treat each other as family. She had taken up the title 'Uncle' for the King of Corona much to his dismay as he considers the title fit for an older gentleman.

Lucinda shook her head. "Nope. He's with Queen Elsa celebrating Her Majesty's tenth year on the throne. He can't be two places at once so he sent me to Enchancia in his stead." She replied. "Besides, I'm sure father would be elated to come if he hadn't been missing from the Royal Court for at least two months. Unless, you want me to recite the things we did during the Summer." She said casually.

Dorrie giggled and waved the matter off. "You don't have to!" She stated. "By the way, there will be a Royal B-" James' hand clamped down on her mouth before she could finish her sentence.

"Um...It's nothing!" James piped in as Lucinda raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious!"

Lucinda shrugged her shoulders. "Well, once you decide what you were wishing to say. I'll be in the guest quarters. Tally ho!" She waved the nervous James and enraged Dorrie behind as she walked up the stairs and disappeared from view.

Dorrie's muffled growl could be heard as she stomped on James' feet a little too hard.

"OW!" James cried as he released his hand from Dorrie's mouth. "I'm sorry Dorrie." He quickly apologized already sensing the witch's temper and did not wish for the matter to escalate even higher. "I...I just don't know how to ask her out...for the Ball tonight..." Dorrie's anger faded in an instant and was replaced with a sly smile. "What?"

"James. James. James." Dorrie chided with a look that could rival both Amber and Hildegard combined, and if that didn't make James cringe, her next sentence probably might. "When will you ever learn? I thought Sofia had given you a lecture about Lucinda's favorite things and Amber had taught you how to ask a girl out properly." She sighed. "Looks like I have to step in now." She whirled around and begin to walk. "Come along James. Let's go find a book." James made a face before following.

The Enchancian castle library was a fascinating place with shelves of books that went as high as the ceiling that one must climb a ladder to reach the highest book, it was one of the few remaining royal libraries that still keeps ancient tomes of power though they remain under guard. And it was here where Dorrie and James poured their minds out at the only book that teaches a prince how to court a princess the proper way. Whatever James thought was fine. Dorrie shook her head. And whatever she suggested. James believed it to be too childish. The both of them just could not find one single thing that would please the other party until a certain brown haired Hexley Hall student walked in on them.

"Hey you two." The girl greeted with a wide smile. "Thought you might be here."

"Hi Amy." Dorrie returned the greeting with her own smile. James merely nodded as he flipped to the next page in frustration. Dorrie shook her head. "This won't work at all." She muttered. "Say Amy, what would you do to help our James here man up and ask Lucinda to go to the Ball with him tonight."

"I see." Amy looked thoughtful. "Have you consulted Royal Sorceress Gretel and Lord Commander Hansel?"

"Not yet." Dorrie replied with a shake of the head. "Gretel is busy helping the cooks to set up the treats and food for tonight, and I thought that it was best if we did not disturb her. As for Hansel, he's always busy with the defenses of the castle. Who blames him for being paranoid. So I thought it was best to leave him to his duty and figure this out on our own."

"Nonsense." Amy doubled back in shock. "No. This can't do. Follow me. We're going to find them."

James sighed as he followed yet another girl. "Must we really do this?" He inquired. The two girls kept quiet and motioned for him to follow. His shoulders dropped slightly. They came first to the kitchens where Gretel was using her magic to speed up the process, she greeted them when she spotted them waving at her from across. The two girls whirled around to him. He gulped and ventured forth.

"What can I do for you Your Highness?" Gretel asked with a quirk eyebrow.

"I want to ask Lucinda to waltz the first dance with me at the Royal Ball tonight." James confessed.

"But you're afraid?" Gretel finished for him. James nodded meekly. "I guessed so. You remind me a lot of my own brother. During our times as witch-hunters, he set his eyes upon a brown-haired witch with knowledge that surpasses even mine. She was fair and just. Eyes that shone like the beauties of Arendelle. Skin that is pale as snow. She was the perfect girl for him. Sadly, she died before he could confess his love." She lowered her head out of respect. "Hansel has remained single ever since. 'No girl can replace her.' He told me on the day of her funeral." James, Amy and Dorrie exchanged looks, this was indeed news to them for they had never heard it before. "But back to the point. What are you so afraid of? "

James shrugged. "Her response I suppose. What if she rejects me?" He said softly.

"She won't." Gretel interrupted before he could continue. "Trust me she won't."

"How can you be so sure?" James shot back.

Gretel gave a smirk. "Because she has been here the whole time." James' eyes widened as Lucinda appeared out of thin air. "Well, it appears my distraction work is done." She clapped her hands together and turned back to her duties. Amy and Dorrie both curtsied and backed away as quickly as they came.

"Lu...I.." James started but was quickly quieten by a peck on the cheek.

Lucinda slowly parted from the first kiss she gave. "You don't have to say anything." She put a finger upon his lips as she gazed into his eyes. "I'll dance with you." James sighed in relief. "Seriously though, what are you so afraid of? I don't bite." She gave James a pointed look. "Either way, I'm glad that you think so much of me. I've been following you ever since I 'left' for my room. After you thought that I disappeared up the stairs, you started admitting everything to Dorrie. I was there, the entire time, I head everything. I heard your confessions." She stated with a grin.

James smiled back slyly. "Well," He took hold of her hands. "I suppose that makes things easier."

Lucinda giggled and punched his arm lightly. "Prat." She scolded but held onto him tightly. "Let's just prepare for the Ball tonight. Wouldn't want anything to happen now would we?" She joked.

Music sounded that night as all took part in the most eventful time of the year, high ranking members of the Legion stationed in Enchancia were present in their fine silk robes, even Hansel himself left his armor aside for the night. Lucinda and James started the dance which got most of the guests up to their feet. It was a wonderful night as carols were sung and stories were told. Yet, James can't help but feel that something was amiss. Not that the castle wasn't well guarded, he had checked with the royal guards that the battlements were guarded twenty-four seven and that no one without an invitation should be allowed into the ballroom. _"You're paranoid James."_ He tried to tell himself. _"You're seeing things. Nothing would happen. Everything is fine...all fine."_ His eyes caught Hugo. He started to study his friend...something was off. _"NO!" _James mentally screamed in his head as he dashed forward.

Lucinda followed James and her eyes caught sight of what just happened. "GUARDS!" She screamed.

Hugo's surprised look was starting to be replaced by fear as his eyes rolled back into their sockets, his knees gave way and he fell backwards only to be caught by James' outstretched arm. No one noticed the red stain forming on his robes until the red crimson liquid started to form a pool on the floor beneath him. Legionnaire officers ran across the ballroom and halted in front of the lifeless form of Prince Hugo. The doors were threw open as guards and legionnaires sprang in with swords in their hands, James held up his hand to stop them. His normally white breeches were stained a sickening brownish red. His hands were covered with fresh crimson blood. Hugo's blood.

The royal family were led into a secret room. Amber's cries were hysterical and no one seemed to be able to calm her down. Queen Miranda silently wept at the passing of a supposed son-in-law as she cradled Sofia's shuddering figure. King Roland the Second barged in the room with a worried look upon his face, he was outside in the village when it happened, he quickly rushed over to Amber and tried his best to console her. James sat with his head in his hands refusing to talk to anyone. Amy and Dorrie together with Cedric and Gretel recited protective spells around the room as an added measure of caution. Hansel and Ralof came in a short while later, their hands stained with blood.

Amber cried onto her father's shoulders after he successfully calmed her down, reducing her hysterical wails into soft sobs. Sofia was still in shock leaning her head on her mother's side. The room fell silent before James broke the silence to ask who could have done this. Hansel broke the truth that Hugo had been killed on orders of his older brother, Axel. James sat stunned. However, he wasn't the only one who was in shock. Amber. Sofia. Lucinda. Dorrie and Amy stared at Hansel with wide eyes. No one could have expected that Hugo's own flesh and blood had tried to kill him on the most auspicious time of the year.

The royal family gathered in the castle courtyard. King Roland the Second at the head dressed in total black. Members of the Legion stood to the right with ceremonial armor with black cloaks. The Enchancian military stood to the left with their heads bowed in silent prayer. The air was filled with solemn as Prince James walked up to the front dressed in total black, Lucinda stood at his side giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Prince Desmond and Prince Fredrick were in attendance as well, they were serving with the Fourth Legion near the outskirts of Dunwiddie when the falcon came bearing the ill tidings. The two came with much haste, to mourn and to be there for their future wives. Dorrie leaned her head upon Fredrick's arm, her fingers intertwined with his. Desmond stood beside them, his arms firmly grasped upon Sofia's shoulders.

"It's hard to believe he's gone." Sofia broke the solemn silence with her comment. "I miss him so. Rough as he was." She held back her tears and glanced at her sister. "I fear for Amber. She hasn't spoken anything since the incident happened." Desmond responded by hugging her closer. "Don't you dare let go Des. Don't you dare let go." She mumbled softly.

"I will never let you go Sof." Desmond replied slowly. "I will never."

"Would you like to say a few words my son?" Roland gently asked his only son.

James gave a curt nod and walked forth. His heart ached as he glanced into the lifeless eyes of his 'brother' in all but blood. Hugo laid in his armor with his hands rested upon the hilt of his sword laid at the top of his chest.

"Hugo. My friend. My comrade. The brother I wished I had. When we first met, he was more than just a fellow student. He was my rival. An enemy and a bully to my eyes. But when the school needed him. He rose to the task...like a true King." He paused as a stray tear rolled down his cheeks. "When I re-founded the Imperial Legion. He was one of the first few to sign up. We trained together. Fought together. Cried together. And laughed together. We will never see the light of his smile forever." He bowed his head in respect. "He would have made an honorable King."

Roland gave James' shoulder a squeeze. "We are gathered here today to honor the life of Prince Hugo. A faithful friend of our family..." He proclaimed. "And now it is time to say goodbye."

Amber walked up next and placed a rose upon Hugo's hand before being escorted back by Queen Miranda. Sofia walked up next and placed her wreath of flowers with Desmond supporting her all the way. Dorrie came next, she didn't know Hugo that well but from what she heard and that small moment where he talked to her, she could tell that he was an honorable person. She laid her flower and walked back to her position. Fredrick brandished his dagger and placed it within Hugo's grasp.

A legionnaire handed a torch over to James. "We shall meet again brother." He gently lowered the torch to set the pyre on fire. The reaction was instant. Swords were drawn in salute. Heads were bowed. Some knelt. Some wept. Others kept a solemn expression. Many gazed into the flames in sorrow and rage. Lucinda walked to the head and begin to sing a farewell song. A song that she meant to sing for her mother's death anniversary but she decided to sing it for a fallen legionnaire. A friend. A brother.

**Sang to the tune of: Ballad of the Forresters ( watch?v=_-aETXtqOvc)**

**Song start:**

_From ice, from ice, the Legionnaires are born,  
To ice they shall return.  
Our friend, our brother, we've sworn, we've sworn,  
To guard this rest you've earned._

_May southern knights melt down their swords.  
A pyre upon Northern shores.  
In floods of steel I pray they drown,  
For all the blood they spilled._

_James, sound the horn of winters past  
Call vengeful Legions forth.  
Urge Southern Lords to break their oaths,  
To wardens of the South._

_Eastern mages empty the veins,  
Of beasts across the sea.  
Paint Southern coasts in crimson red,  
To bring Hugo back to us._

_His final words, faced with the sword  
Chilled Muriel to the bone  
You will not rule here, I am King  
And I protect my own!_

_And I protect my own..._

_Fight on, fight on, Hugo the Brave,  
Old gods bear steel with you.  
Our friend, our brother, a hero's grave.  
So iron grows anew.  
Still iron grows anew. _

**Song End**

James stared into the flames that burned brightly. The flames appears to be speaking to him. As if it was acknowledging him. Mere men would see nothing but red hot embers and smoke. But for him, it was different. He had a certain ability that he kept to himself, the power to see into the past, and he took this moment to treasure the time spent with Hugo. The flames showed him the day Hugo first signed up with the Legion, the moment when Hugo was formally inducted into the Ninth, the training the two shared together and how James became a friendly tutor to Hugo. He closed his eyes. Allowing the memory to take control.

**Memory Start**

_James stood with a wooden sword firmly grasp in his right hand. "You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I'll teach you how to confront it. Teach you how to face the truth." And with that he struck forward. Hugo lifted up his own sword to defend from the blow. At the last second, James flicked his wrist and his sword changed its direction, hitting Hugo in the side. Hugo grimaced in pain as he looked at James incredulously. "You can fight six men. The Legion can teach you how to engage six hundred. And how to disappear. The Legion can teach you how to become truly invincible."_

"_Invincible?" Hugo questioned with a curious look._

_James signaled and two men leaped down from above the trees without making a single noise._

"_A legionnaire understands that invincibility is a matter of patience," James paused as he ran to the side and disappeared. Hugo looked around before turning to find James staring at him from the branch of a tree. "and agility." He continued with a playful smile. Hugo raised an eyebrow before James leaped down and struck him from behind. "Always be mindful of your surroundings." He added._

"_You'll know the time when to employ explosive powders." James spoke again before tossing a few small round objects on the ground which erupted into sparks and smoke. "As weapons," When the smoke increased, he struck again from Hugo's side. "or distractions." Hugo coughed and shook his head in wonder. "See how small objects can change the tide of a duel. Deception is a powerful agent. You must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent." James smiled as Hugo's interest increased tenfold. "What are you waiting for? Derby Practice?" He mocked as he held his sword up._

_Hugo attacked with twice the effort. The two wooden swords met in a deadlock position before parting and meeting again. James struck high. Hugo dodged left. James grinned and leaped backwards over a table before kicking the said object towards Hugo who jumped high to evade being hit. The two circled each other before engaging in a deadlock once more. They twirled and missed. Hit and part then hit again. No matter how hard Hugo tried, James' defenses would not break. Hugo cursed inwardly as James' sword struck his left shoulder, it left his arm in a painful situation but it was just what it needed to fuel his counter-attack. James was caught unaware and was tackled to the ground. _

"_Yield." Hugo stated with his sword at James' neck._

_James merely smiled. "You haven't beaten me yet." Hugo looked confused. "You sacrificed your footing for a killing stroke." Hugo gasped as the ground beneath him broke apart. James stood over the fallen and groaning form of Hugo. "Don't always rush into action Hugo." He offered a hand._

_Hugo smiled and took the hand. "You have to teach me how to do that."_

"_All in good time brother." James patted Hugo's back. "All in good time."_

**Memory End**

The song ended and Lucinda walked back towards the crowd. James looked up from the flames and out into the night sky. There was only one look. The look of fury. The cry for vengeance. There was only one path remaining and he's going to take it whether his family liked it or not. Fellow legionnaires were crying out for blood. Desmond and Fredrick are eager to stain their blades with Axel's blood. Amy and Dorrie may not know Hugo personally, but judging from the looks upon their faces, they were more than willing to lend a hand as long as it meant justice being served. James narrowed his eyes.

There will be a reckoning. Axel will pay one way or another.

The war is about to begin.

And the pieces are being moved accordingly.

**Chapter Eight is done! I apologize for the long wait but my exams were around the corner and I had to study! Gods! I hate studying! But nonetheless, here's chapter 8, delivered and ready to be read. Sorry to all Hugo fans out there! I needed someone to die to thicken the plot. And I can't decide either Erik or Hugo, I chose the lesser.**

**Plot for Chapter Nine: With Hugo's death, the Realm was thrown into a full-scale war as the Imperial Legion laid siege to the Southern Isles. Kings whom had pledged their armies to the Legion were present on the field of battle. James led the frontal assault with Fredrick and Desmond at his side. Axel reveals his loyalty to Muriel and a startling truth.**


	9. Invasion On The South

**Chapter Nine**

**Invasion On The South**

Prince James of Enchancia stood at the mast of the Imperial Flagship. Three months after Hugo's untimely death, the realm was thrown into an uproar with Kings of distant Kingdoms drawing swords in favor of the coalition. King Magnus of Rudistan promised armies as far as any eye could see. Many former princes of Royal Prep joined up with the invasion force, old faces were seen again and old friends were reunited at a solemn time. Hugo's death had sparked the ignition for a full-scale war to take place. The war used to be covert. Fought only between the Southern Isles and the Kingdoms of Corona and Enchancia. But with the news of Axel's deeds spreading like wildfire. More and more Kingdoms decided to draw their swords.

Roland the First, James' grandfather stood behind him in all his glory. The former King of Enchancia was not the only one on board the vessel. King Erik Fitzherbert stood sharpening his blade with a stony look in his eyes. King Nasir of Khaldune along with his heir and only son Prince Khalid were present as well. Prince Fredrick stood with his arms clasped behind his back conversing with Prince Desmond in hushed tones. Hansel was sharpening his blades and sheathing them into his pockets while Gretel was making small talk with the men to keep their spirits up. General Tullius was at the helm of the flagship overlooking the invasion fleet with narrowed eyes. Prince Zandar was on board another ship to his left. And Prince Jin with Wei-Ling's forces were on the ship to his right. Behind them were several ships from the Coronain Navy.

"Soldiers! Prepare for disembarking!" Came the cry from a Centurion.

James glared onto the shores that awaited them. Lines of pikes were arranged on the shoreline with archers covering up the rear, dark witches hovered above the ground nestled aboard their brooms, cavalry and knights waited for them on the hilltop slightly above the sea. Catapults lined up behind the main army with heavy stones that could sink any of their ships. And behind the catapults was the village and the road leading towards the castle battlements, which no doubt was filled with archers and knights ready to defend their Dark Lady. And there at the head of the main army was the person he had come to kill. Axel. Blood traitor and kinslayer. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword as the flagship came to a halt. He whirled around as the legionnaires and their allies parted to let him through.

"Men! The bastard that ordered the death of Prince Hugo awaits us on the shores with thousands of men willing to die in his name. But he won't get away with this. Not with murder. The Gods have favored us this day to bring us swift and powerful breeze so that our fleet can reach the Southern Isles before a month is passed. We are going to end this war. Here and now. We'll march up to the gates of the Southern Isles and cut the head of the Dark Lady herself!" Hoots and hollers sounded from the flagship which was then passed on to the others. "To your boats men! Do not fear Death! Face it with coward with the knowledge that eternal glory awaits on the other side! Join me and take this city!"

Swords were drawn as the soldiers went to the longboats that were being lowered into the water one at a time. James tore off his cloak and boarded the first boat, he had sworn to Lucinda and Hugo's grave that he would lead the invasion force. Fredrick and Desmond went with him. King Erik awaited the second with King Nasir, Hansel and Gretel together with them. Khalid jumped on the boat after a short conversation with his father, his face was determined yet grim. They knew what awaited once their boats touched dry land. The soldiers picked up their oars and started rowing. Before even reaching the shoreline, rains of arrows showered upon the open top end of the boats. Those that were lucky survived the showers. The unlucky ones fell into the sea. Turning blue into crimson red.

The boat rocked before coming to an abrupt stop. "Follow me lads!" James bellowed and leaped over the side and drew his sword. Desmond, Fredrick and Khalid followed his example. The soldiers formed up behind them and without any orders or directions, they charged up to engage the archers nestled behind the pikes. The archers dropped their bows and surged forward to engage the oncoming forces and thus started the bloodbath. For every single coalition soldier killed, they took ten Southerners with them each. The battle was swift yet brutal. The Southern archers were not skillful in swordsmanship and were easily cut down by the vengeful coalition soldiers and the Legion allies.

Fire stones hurled by Southern catapults struck one of the vessels carrying soldiers from Khaldune, the ship broke out in large flames as it was claimed by the sea. The dying screams of the soldiers as they were boiled alive in their armor could be heard from the shore. Khalid closed his eyes at the deaths of so many. James winced as a vessel bearing the banners of Enchancia went up in flames. Fredrick and Desmond shielded their eyes when a powerful spell destroyed four longboats all at once, killing several hundred coalition soldiers. The four did not have time to relish in their small victory of the archers as the main Southern force trampled down from the hills. The coalition first wave did not had time to react and were killed by the spears and swords of the Southern knights.

"Push forward!" James roared as he gripped his sword tightly. All around him, the coalition soldiers shifted to his orders and ran headlong into the charging knights. Unlucky ones were trampled down by the horses while the lucky ones unsaddled the knights and killed them. He kicked a spear up into his hands and hurled it towards a knight. The spear struck the Southerner in the chest and he rolled off his saddle and fell fast first into the bloodied ground. Many coalition soldiers followed his example and hurled their spears at the Southern knights, unhorsing them instantly before moving into the kill.

More boats hit the shoreline and King Erik in all his glory led Coronain lords into the fray. The former King of Enchancia atop his steed led Enchancian steel against Southern spears. King Nasir with his sword held high charged into Southern ranks with the might of Khaldune behind his back. King Magnus with sword in hand valiantly led Rudistan swords against the ever growing tide. Hansel and Gretel, true to their heritage and name, led coalition and Legion arrows against the dark witches, raining hell upon the foulest of creatures. General Tullius, showed Southerners that day why he is to be feared, the Old Lion of Corona led the mighty Legion into the heart of the enemy. Prince Zandar was next into the fray, leading large armored elephants and sorcerers from his Kingdom.

James ducked and rolled to the side, bringing his sword up to slice off the leg of a knight before leaping forward to unhorse another. He pulled himself onto the saddle and rode forth. By now, he had already lost sight of his friends and the other Kings, the clashing armies were just too many that he didn't had the time to glance around. He sliced downwards decapitating a Southern archer. He swung left, cutting off the arm of a downed dark witch. He slapped the reins to move further. A Southern spear pierced the horse's hide throwing him down to the ground with the horse crushing his right leg. He gave a cry of agony. A Southern knight hovered above him with spear ready to strike before his chest was ripped open by a bloodied sword.

"Can't leave you alone without getting into trouble eh?" Fredrick grinned as he together with Desmond pushed the horse off James' right leg. They hurled him up to his feet. "Can you walk?" James tried and could only limp. "You can't carry on like this." He stated seriously before pulling Desmond just as a Southern knight ran past them. He parried and thrust his blade into the knight's throat, giving it a twist before pulling it out. He swung his blade to get rid of the blood. "Can you at least fend for yourself?"

James gave a curt nod. "I'll do my best. Just get going and secure the beachfront!" He grumbled as he limped towards a group of legionnaires for protection. "Go! I'll stay here!"

"Stay safe James." Desmond gave a lazy salute. "See you on the other side."

The two princes gave each other a nod of confidence before rushing once more into the fray. James didn't had to wait for long before the cheers of thousands sounded from the beach, he closed his eyes and leaned his head backwards. They had won the first battle of many more to come. He limped towards the hill that overlooked the village and saw the Southern forces making a quick but hasty retreat. The coalition soldiers to his right and left were roaring loudly with their swords high. He took this moment to glance around.

He spotted King Erik with a grim expression standing to the far left with Hansel, Roland and Gretel at his side. King Magnus was there with a huge smile across his face. Khalid was on the right being supported by a member of his household guards. General Tullius was there as well saddled atop a mighty steed.

But there was no sign of King Nasir nor Prince Zandar.

Fredrick and Desmond approached with beaming smiles. James demeanor changed to sorrow and grief as he glanced towards the fallen coalition soldiers and legionnaires that littered the beachfront.

He was the one who called the coalition together to invade the Southern Isles. Twenty-five hundred thousand soldiers, knights, legionnaires and noble lords were told to move out of their castles, fortresses and camps, travel about two and a half hundred miles on fifty-eight frigates. A trip that took at least a month at sea, to fight and die on foreign soil quite possible no one cared for, and never getting to see their families again.

"I've sent six thousand men to their graves today." He commented softly. Fredrick and Desmond's smiles faded at that instant as they gravely nodded in agreement. He limped forward and turned towards the cheering men. "One victory does not make us conquerors. Did we avenge Hugo? Did we free those who were forced to obey the Dark Lady? Did we our Kingdoms from the one who wants us on our knees?" The cheers died down. "No. This is just the beginning..." He turned to face the castle in the distance.

"This war is far from over." He said grimly.

That night, the coalition forces set up camp along the shoreline, building up defenses atop the hill overlooking the village. Engineers went straight down to work assembling siege equipments to be used in the later stages of the invasion. Wounded soldiers were treated by the healers. The dead were honored and placed on top of a pyre. James was saddened to see his best friend among the dead as well, Zandar had taken the western flank and was faced with heavy resistance, he was cut down by several Southern knight but not before damaging their morale with the elephants. The next among the fallen was King Nasir. Though skillful in swordsmanship, even the strongest and bravest can fall, he left his weakness open and his killer took it. Khalid stood beside the mourners with no expression.

"They came to us from Khaldune, Enchancia, Corona and the Northern Isles. From north and south. From east to west. They died protecting women and children who will never know their names. It is for us to remember them. Our brothers. Our comrades. Our friends." King Erik was elected to deliver the eulogy for the fallen coalition soldiers and legionnaires. "May the Divines above guide them to the next world where they will feast and await the time where we will join them. They will wait for us in the Hall of Heroes with open arms and smiles on their faces. We will never see the likes of them again."

"And now their oath has ended." Mutters from several legionnaires could be heard.

"And now their oath has ended." Erik repeated with a solemn nod.

It is customary for the Legion to say the phrase to end the oath that they vowed at the very beginning, it was part of their tradition and Erik wasn't going to get rid of it, he had insisted to James and Lucinda that the Legion must strictly follow the ancient rules and code. The pyre was first set ablaze by Erik before he passed the torch to Roland, who then passed to King Magnus and so on. One bye one, the princes and the high ranking officers would have a turn at setting the pyre alight. James watched once again as the flames claimed the body of a dear friend of his. Hugo's loss was already a pain to him. He was just lucky that he did not see exactly how Zandar laid down his life to ensure victory. Slowly, everyone retreated to their tents to lick their wounds and rest for the night.

"Rider approaching!" The sentry guarding the hill yelled.

Desmond reached for his sword but Fredrick stopped him. Desmond looked at him skeptically. "Not yet, we do not know their intentions. If we strike down this rider, we may bring death and destruction back towards the mainland. And I'm sure as hell wouldn't want anything to happen to Dorrie. And the rider is approaching under a flag of truce. It would be a breech in the code of chivalry if we strike him down. Stay your blade for now Desmond. You're not the only one growling for Southern blood." He hissed softly. Desmond understood and let go of the hilt. The two approached the rider. "What are your intentions here Southerner?" He inquired politely, fighting off a sneer and growl.

"I'm here to speak to your commanding general." The rider said without dismounting.

"Our commander was wounded on the field of battle." Fredrick replied with a frown. "I'm his second-in-command. And I'm not going to ask you again Southerner. What do you want here?"

The rider narrowed his eyes. "I bring a message from my Lord Axel." He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a scroll. Desmond walked forward cautiously to retrieve it. "And this is another message from my Queen Muriel." Fredrick frowned and took the burlap sack that the rider handed over. Without another word, he turned his steed and rode off back into the Southern ranks.

Fredrick looked to the sack in his hands and then towards the scroll. "Guard." He called. The soldier standing behind him walked forth with a salute. "Gather the leaders of the coalition in the command tent. We have much to discuss." The soldier saluted once more and ran off to do his bidding. He narrowed his eyes at the sack. "Come Desmond. We have much to talk about before this night is over. It seems that there is no rest for the Legion high command after all." Desmond grumbled in agreement and followed him back down towards the camp.

The leaders of the coalition rose to their feet when they saw Fredrick and Desmond entering the tent with the scroll and sack in hand. King Erik's stony gaze fell on the sack. And he wasn't the only one, Roland's eyes was narrowed, King Magnus' eyes were a mixture of fear and anger. James watched his friends enter the tent with a steely gaze. Fredrick placed the sack down at the center of the map. The scroll was handed directly to James who opened it and read the contents in silence. Erik's hand reached for the sack and he slowly untied the rope that sealed the sack up, as he released the last knot, a decaying stench filled the room forcing the majority of the leaders to step back to cover their nose.

Erik peered into the sack, and when he saw what it contained, his face was a mixture of horror, disgust and fury. It was the partially preserved head of King William, the father of both Axel and Hugo.

"Bastards!" King Magnus thundered. "Those Southern bastards!"

"It's not the Southerners who did this King Magnus." James started as he handed the scroll over to the raging King of Rudistan. "It's Axel. He murdered his father to gain the throne. His father knew of his evil plans and had already came up with a contingency plan should he die. Hugo was meant to marry into my family and be granted protection by the Enchancian crown so that his brother could never touch him." His eyes were hallowed with grief at the thought of his friend. "But it appears that Axel had spies everywhere and they discovered King William's plans to make his youngest son the heir of the throne instead of him. In a fit of rage and fury, Axel led a coup and murdered his father in cold blood before ordering his brother to death." The leaders of the coalition fell silent at the final sentence.

"That kin-slayer." Desmond muttered softly. "I can't believe he would just kill..."

"A vile creature would do anything to get what it wants." Fredrick commented darkly. "We need to end this war now James." He insisted. "Before the Southerners can get a chance to booster the village."

"I have to agree with Prince Fredrick here." Tullius stated while staring hard at the map. "We may have the numbers on our side. But they have the high ground. Their castle is atop a steep hill with only one road leading up which is through the village. And that very village is defended by Southern knights whom were more than willing to fight to the bitter end than surrender at the feet of a foreign prince."

"They will ask for terms before another night is past." James stated with determination. "You can count on it general. I will make their captains come to us on a flag of truce asking for terms to end this war."

"I'll look forward to it." Tullius said gruffly.

"Do not doubt the young prince my friend." Erik said bemusedly. "He may be young but he has a certain tact for strategy. And he was the one who brought us all together." He added. Tullius gave a low grunt and walked out of the tent with his men. Erik looked at James apologetically. "Give Tullius some time to get used to taking orders from a young boy. He has an edge on everyone and only respects those that he believes are fit to rule. My daughter earned her right when she proved herself to be a fast learner and managed to learn everything that he knew within a week." He said with a sheepish grin.

"It's alright Your Grace." James said with an equal grin. "I will prove myself that I am worthy to lead all these men. I will show General Tullius that I'm capable of leading, not with words but with actions."

"Now that's my future son-in-law!" Erik bellowed loudly. King Magnus and Roland howled with laughter as did the other leaders at the proclamation. "I look forward to the day I walk my daughter down the aisle." He added with a bright smile. "And hand her over to her rightful King." He paused and stared directly into James' eyes. "But I expect grandsons and daughters to be popping up after."

James blushed three shades of red. Fredrick and Desmond joined in the laughter. Even Khalid managed to crack a small smile. He scowled at them playfully and stood up. "I believe that we are done for the night." The other leaders rose to their feet and made their way to the exit. "Rest well my friends," He turned to both Fredrick, Desmond and Khalid. "Tomorrow, we take the fight to the belly of the beast."

Khalid nodded. "Yes, and we will avenge the fallen." He stated sullenly. "Night."

The other three looked at Khalid's retreating figure with worry and pity. The young heir of Khaldune walked back to his section of the camp where the majority of his father's forces were waiting, the men bowed to him, muttering their condolences as he went. But what made him special was the fact that he did not allow his father's death to hinder him. Khalid walked with his head held high. Never showing fear nor sorrow. Never shedding a tear. James and the rest watched as he entered his tent before walking back to their own, conversing in soft volumes along the way.

"I fear for what is to come." James admitted to his two trusted friends. "Muriel is powerful. And without sorceress or sorcerers on our side, we are defenseless against her powers." Fredrick almost protested when James held up a hand to stop him. "I know what you want to say Fredrick. Even with the combined might of Hansel and Gretel, we cannot stop her. True, they might have defeated her before but she is ten times more powerful than she used to before. That was what exactly happened in the battle last year. I've heard the tales from the survivors. She used devastating powers to cripple the Coronian and Enchancian line, taking two halves of the army with it." His lips formed a thin line.

"I can't let that happen." He whispered softly. "King Erik once told me that being a King was like being a father. Except that you have thousands of children. And you worry about all of them." He continued to limp forward with Desmond supporting his right arm. "And I find myself worrying over these men that had journeyed with us to the Southern Isles. If any of them dies tomorrow...I don't know how I'm able to live my life knowing that I had led them to their graves. And further more, I'm just a boy."

"A boy who has seen things that not many would believe. A boy who has faced Death several times only to tell Him to come back another day. A boy who fought in countless battles. A boy who is in command of an entire army. A boy who has the backing of other Kings and Queens." Fredrick interrupted before James could continue his rant. "A boy who has united two rival schools together. A boy who is betrothed to the most fairest lady in the land. A boy who I am proud to call brother."

"A boy who I am more than willing to lay down my life for." Desmond added with a small smile. James shot him a glare. "I'm serious James." He stated with a frown. "I'm more than willing to die on the field of battle. I will tear down the walls of the South for you with my bare hands if you just ask."

"When he puts it that way," Fredrick shrugged his shoulders. ",it makes sense."

James cracked a grin. "I do not doubt your loyalty to the coalition and our friendship." His face turned serious when he eyed the two of them. "But I forbid you two from throwing away your lives. I want you to be wary of your surroundings and don't rush into battle. If not for me, do it for Sofia and Dorrie." His eyes glaring into the two. Desmond and Fredrick gave a nod each. "That's all I ask."

"We'll drop you at the healers. They can fix you up." Desmond spoke up as they neared the tent where the wounded rested. James muttered his gratitude. "We'll see you at the front tomorrow."

**Corona**

Princess Lucinda fed Rune a treat before returning to the letter she received from Amy. The letter had stated that the Headmaster of Hexley Hall has declared his support for James' coalition and is planning to send senior students to assist in the war efforts on the front line. The reinforcements for the coalition army in the Southern Isles is prepared to sail in another three days, and more men have been pouring into Corona every day. As her father was away leading Coronain swords at the front, she was made temporary Queen of the Kingdom, ruling in her father's name. Kurt has volunteered to lead the students and is due to arrive tomorrow at first light. She stood up from her chair and headed for the door.

She left her room and went towards the Great Hall where the majority of the nobles from distant Kingdoms were gathered, making plans and preparing for the month's journey. Knights trained hard in the fields surrounding the city. Mere soldiers and levies took whatever time they had to write letters to their families and offerings to the Divines above. Legion by Legion arrive every three hours and pitched their tents outside the fields. The castle felt quiet after King Erik left with the bulk of the military two months back. She missed the stories that Gretel told her every night. She missed the trainings she had with Hansel. She missed the jovial laughter from her father. The sound of the Kingsguard's marching boots. The voice of several captains yelling at their recruits.

"Your Highness." A familiar voice greeted her.

At least he hadn't left. Lucinda smiled at the man that had watched her grow from a child to a teenager, the man who had protected her several times, the man who was the brother she wished she had. The man was none other than the captain of her personal bodyguards. "Ralof. Good to see at least a familiar face in this lonely and deserted hallway." She greeted with a bright smile. "But we can reminisce later. I need to know how are the legionnaires settling in? I understand General Cipius has been marching his forces for at least four days without stopping for a rest." She inquired.

"The Fourth Legion is settling in fine." Ralof answered gruffly. "General Cipius sends his regards and apologizes that he can't attend the feast you plan to host tonight. He wants to cherish the moment with his wife and daughter." Lucinda nodded in understanding. "And by the way, your friend, the Lady Dorrie is currently in residence at the Cosmarune manor. Would you like to visit her?"

"That would be great." Lucinda said softly. "I haven't seen the manor for myself anyway."

Ralof gave a curt nod. "I'll ready the men and horses."

The gates of the castle opened and several riders galloped out. The people of Corona bowed their heads when they spotted their Princess riding at the head. The guards at the bridge leading to the vast fields outside the city snapped to attention and saluted as they passed, Lucinda gave them a nod of gratitude for all they've done to protect the city. Knights and soldiers from distant Kingdoms halted their activities to catch a glance at the White Witch that brought many of them together, legionnaires hooted and hollered her name when she passed their encampment. Just a few more turns round the rows and rows of tents, she and her entourage of ten finally made it to the mansion atop the hill.

Lucinda dismounted from her steed, gaping at the large mansion that towered over her as if attempting to intimidate her. Small walls kept the building enclosed, one could have mistaken it for a fort. The windows had royal blue curtains hanging on the other side of them, drawn so that the sunlight could stream through. As she stepped past the gate, Lucinda noticed a marble fountain sitting directly in the center of all things. A wizard or sorcerer garbed in armor was perched on top, with his wand pointing towards the gate. She took notice of several exotic animals roaming the lawn. There were lions, tigers and jaguars. Thankfully, the animals were tamed and well-trained not to attack strangers on sight.

She walked up towards the door and knocked on it gently. A short while later, the door opened to a friendly young face. Dorrie blinked twice before breaking out into a full blown smile, she pulled opened her door even wider and launched herself forward, pulling Lucinda into an embrace. Ralof chuckled softly behind with the other men. Dorrie noticed the soldiers standing behind and quickly composed her actions with a tinge of embarrassment. Lucinda covered her mouth to stifled her giggle that was becoming more and more hard to conceal since her shoulders were bobbing up and down.

"Enough of that!" Dorrie snapped playfully. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Oh. A little bit of this and a little bit of that." Lucinda replied strangely. "Truth is. I wanted to see the manor of Cosmarune. After hearing so much about it from my father, I guess why not pay it a visit to see for myself." She added. "And after seeing the animals and the nicely decorated fountain. I could say that this is a house I would love to stay in if I wasn't royalty." She remarked. "And now that I've answered your question of my doings. Now I want to ask you. What are you doing here?"

Dorrie shrugged. "Sofia ordered me to take a break. I fought and resisted. But King Roland and Queen Miranda insisted that I take a break. And where else can I relax than the manor my birth parents owned?" She extended her arms as if to show how spacious the manor was. "And besides, Amber needs her own family to keep her on her feet after...after Prince Hugo's death." Her tone became much more gentle and softer. "She screams every night you know? I myself have nightmares. I can still see his eyes rolling back into his head before he collapsed onto the ground." She shuddered at the thought.

"How did the royal family take it after I left?" Lucinda inquired. Not out of disrespect but of curiosity.

"King Roland and Queen Miranda don't talk about him but the King cries at night. Sofia cries herself to sleep for three nights before several visits from her friends helped her move on, Princess Vivian's visit was the most helpful one out of all." Dorrie answered as she invited her guests into the house, she gestured to the cushioned chairs that were near the hearth. "Baileywick was too shocked and badly traumatized by the incident that he was in a trance for at least a week, but with the help from all the maids and servants, he got back to work after that. Cedric blames himself for not detecting the killer earlier and now dedicates his time boosting the castle's defenses." She said softly.

Dorrie's gaze then lowered and her face hardened. "Amber was the one who took it hardest. She locked herself up in her room and she barely sets foot outside. Princess Hildegard and Princess Clio have been constantly dropping by every day, knocking on her door and begging her to open up. Even the Headmistresses of Royal Prep attempting to convince her to open the door, she still didn't. When I left Enchancia on the first ship bound for Corona, Sofia managed to get her to open the door but her emotions are still clouded at the moment." She explained. Lucinda listened on in silence. "I fear for her Lucinda. I won't lie to you. I'm scared that she might die of a broken heart."

"Amber's a strong girl. She won't do that." Lucinda reassured with a warm smile. She crossed her heart and prayed that she was right. At Amber's current condition, she might kill herself. "How about your mother? Is she moving here with you?" She decided to change the subject. "This place is quite huge."

Dorrie cracked a small smile. "Yes, it is. I've asked her whether she wants to move in but she politely declined the offer, she told me that the manor belongs to my birth parents and she did not want to intrude on the property. I tried to convince her but gave up after she keeps on rejecting. I decided to ask Fredrick to move in with me. And guess what? He accepted. His room is upstairs. But of course, it's empty now...considering the fact that he is fighting on the front line..." Her lips thinned and her eyes started to get watery. Her hand was trembling as she said the last sentence. "I miss him so."

"I miss James too." Lucinda said with a small grin.

The two girls continued on to talk for quite some time. Finding comfort in each other while their friends were away fighting on the front lines in a war that might take months to finish. Dorrie sat up straight as she talked about her betrothal to Fredrick and how the wedding would take place when the war is over. Lucinda reassured her again that nothing would happen to Fredrick, Desmond, James or anyone else on the war front. Totally unbeknownst that Zandar, Jade's betrothed had already fallen in battle. The Princess of Corona gazed into the fire and prayed that she was right.

How wrong she was.

**Chapter Nine has come to an end. James and the main army remain in the South fighting against hordes of Southern knights and soldiers. Lucinda and Dorrie talks about the war. And reinforcements pours into Corona to reinforce the war effort.**

**Chapter Ten plot: Prince James continues to lead the coalition forces against the Southern Isles with hopes of breaching the inner castle walls. The fighting had led to a stalemate that the Southerners called for a truce and asked for terms under a peaceful banner. A coven of Dark Art users loyal to Muriel have been providing her with reinforcements from the mainland, two Legion scouting parties were sent to investigate what the sentries had seen. One of them met with a skirmish that claimed the life of another of James' friends. Desperate to end the threat, King Erik urged the other leaders to write back to their fellow brethren back on the mainland to ride out against the coven instead of coming to the South. **


	10. Decisions That We Make

**Chapter Ten**

**Decisions That We Make**

The morning light streamed into the large encampment. Prince James walked over to the head of the army, his ankle recovered and fully healed the previous night before using the mystical arcane arts of Restoration. Prince Desmond and Prince Fredrick accompanied him, walking by his left and right respectively. Prince Khalid awaited them at the head of the army saddled atop his horse. Three squires came forth with their horses, the three princes mounted their steeds and turned around to face the soldiers that were itching to stain the fields with Southern blood. The coalition forces were ready to charge at any moment, knights were saddled on their horses with their lances, men-at-arms and archers lined up the hill from one point to the other. Standing behind the coalition soldiers were legionnaires standing shoulder to shoulder in a disciplined manner, auxiliary units and cavalry forces spread across the beachfront that not a single sand could be seen.

James glanced at the faces of the soldiers as far as his eye could see. He gripped the reins of his horse tightly as it begin trotting down the line of men. "Through all the chaos that is our history, through all of our times, there is one thing that has brought us together. And that is our courage." He addressed the assembled soldiers. "Prayers from all over the realm are focused today...on all you brave souls...standing in defiance of tyranny. Many of you would soon lie dead, never to see the faces of your loved ones again, but we will care for them as they are laid into the earth." He eased his sword from its scabbard and held it high. "Have faith in our victory. Have courage! Fear neither pain nor darkness for the Hall of Heroes await those who die with weapons in their hands. The Gods are watching. The spirits of our ancestors are stirring. They bear steel with us on this day!" Hollers sounded from the assembled soldiers as James rode down the line inspiring them along the way. "Desmond." He called.

Desmond gave a knowledgeable nod and drew his sword. "Catapults!" He thundered. Engineers and soldiers alike pulled back the crank of the destructive siege machine, several able-bodied men carried large rocks and placed it down in the bucket which will deliver the payload. Desmond glanced to his left and right and awaited the hand signals from all the engineers before pointing his sword towards the enemy lines. "Fire!" He gave the command. At least thirty huge stones filled the air as they were hurled towards the Southern ranks, the lucky ones scattered and regrouped, the unlucky ones were splattered by large tons of rocks. "Give them a volley." He spoke to the captain standing behind him.

"Fire a volley!" The captain echoed his orders.

Archers lined up to the front and nocked their arrows. All at once, they pulled the bowstring back as hard as they could and awaited the command. Desmond nodded and they fired. Their arrows soared through the air and struck many with deadly accuracy. They repeated it once more and managed to reduce the Southern defensive lines, the entrance to the village was clear for the knights and infantry to ride in. Horns were blown as the first wave of coalition knights charged the fields. The Southerners fired back their own volley of arrows which killed many of the charging knights, but the coalition forces did not falter nor waver as they rode into the fray led by their liege lords. James spurred his horse forward and signaled the Legion cavalry units to follow him. Fredrick followed him. Desmond remained behind leading the catapults and archers, coordinating their attacks so as to not hit ally troops.

Dark Witches atop their brooms swooped downwards, firing dark spells and hexes, mere men in armor were turned inside out with just a whisper of a word. James narrowed his eyes as he watched countless of brave souls burning to death in their armor as the dark witches unleashed flames upon the field, more than one hundred souls lost within the first few minutes into the battle. "I don't care how you do it and I don't want to know. I want those witches off their brooms!" He pointed towards the dark witches hovering above the air, crackling evilly as they fired off spell after spell. Almost instantly, a fresh squad of legionnaires marched forward and hurled their javelins at the dark witches, catching most of them by surprise. The dark witches responded by focusing their attacks on the legionnaires. Trained by Hansel and taught of their tactics by Gretel, the legionnaires raised their shields to deflect the oncoming spells and counter-attacked with their spears. The dark witches were defeated. The survivors fled towards the castle.

"Push forward men!" James urged the coalition forces to press on. The Southern fought a bitter resistance but they did not retreat nor surrender leaving the coalition no choice but to show no mercy and slaughter the defenders. With the defenders slain, the way to the castle was left open. Siege towers and all sorts of siege equipments were being assembled or pushed into the occupied village. James noticed several frightened children and women cowering before him as the victorious coalition army rounded them up. "Escort the people out of the village and towards the sea. There has been too much innocent blood wasted and I shall have none of it spilled here. All shall be safely escorted to the sea. No one will be harmed. I swear upon the Gods above." He reassured the frightened populace. The people were grateful and kept muttering their thanks as they were being led away.

"Another victory and yet the kin-slayer is not to be found." Fredrick hissed as he and Desmond scoured the fields for survivors. He knelt down beside a squire no older than he when he first joined Royal Prep, the squire's eyes were wide open and there was a spear impaled in his abdomen. "So much death for so little gain." He muttered. With one deep breath, he pulled out the spear and closed the eyes of the dead squire before ordering his men to take the body and put it with the rest of the fallen.

"Axel hides behind walls and sends his lackeys to do his dirty work for him." Desmond stated. "That coward couldn't face his own brother like a true knight so he stabbed him in the back. He didn't even give Hugo an honorable death. Let him die fighting with a sword in his hand like a true legionnaire."

"Cowards always have their ways with everything." Fredrick sneered. The two stopped atop a steep hill overlooking the Southern Isles fortification. "They won't give up." He commented. "Loyal to a false cause I'll give 'em that." He folded his arms as he watched the coalition forces march into the village with their siege weapons at the ready. "The Kingdom of the Southern Isles was a proud and respected Kingdom. Their knights know valor and honor the code of chivalry like no other. They were the best of the best and won nearly every battle. Until _she_ returned..." He said darkly.

Desmond placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "She'll answer for this. One way or another."

Fredrick gave his friend a curt nod. "And I want to be there to see it."

"Now let's go find James before he makes a move he regrets." Desmond suggested.

"Agreed."

The command tent was once again bursting with activity. Leaders from the coalition force hovered over a large piece of map where several chess pieces indicated their positions and the enemy. Khalid gave a nod when he spotted Fredrick and Desmond entering the game of strategy. General Tullius was pointing out several key locations that they could position the men when the siege takes place, and whatever he suggested was taken with high praise by the others. King Erik pointed out that the Southerners have entrenched themselves behind their walls and were using women and children, most probably servants and squires as human shields. King Magnus grumbled and muttered about dishonor and oath-breakers causing several Rudistan lords and Enchancian vassals to agree with him.

Before the meeting could grow more chaotic with the shouting and yelling. A sentry from the coalition force stepped into the tent. "Milords. A rider from the Southerners arrived in the camp under a banner of truce. Judging by the looks of the rider, he's some sort of high born lord. He requests to meet with the leaders of the coalition force with haste." He reported with a short bow.

"Bring him in then." James spoke for everyone. The sentry left and returned a short while later with a man dressed in silver polished armor with a blue cloak, the man stopped and dipped his head in respect.

"My name is Oswald. I am a vassal of the King of the Southern Isles. That was before he met his untimely end at the hands of the Dark Lady." The man introduced himself. "I come here not on behalf of the Dark Witch and her ilks nor King Axel and his lackeys. But I come here today on behalf of the Southern Isles and all the lords and knights that were forced to fight this foolish war." He said with a pointed look directed to every single person present in the tent. All eyes turned to King Erik, who had brought the most army making him the de-facto leader of the coalition force, but Erik turned to James.

"I will offer the South peace if they heed my terms." James stated with a dark look. "First, the late King William's bones must be returned to us so he can rest beside his wife and son beneath the crypts of Royal Prep. And the remains of all those that died in his service must also be returned. So their families can honor them with proper funerals." He leaned forward. "Third. Your fellow lords must re-announce all claims to the Northern Isles, from this time until the end of time, they are a free and independent Kingdom." At this sentence, the Northern lords gave him nods of firm approval. James had won their trusts and loyalty just by a single sentence. "Neither you nor your friends or any of your men shall set foot in their lands again. If any of you disregards this command, you shall suffer the same fate that awaits the kin-slayer." He stood up with his hands firmly placed on the table. "These are my terms. If your other friends heed them, I'll give them peace. If not, I'll litter the South with crimson blood."

"An honorable request, Your Highness." Oswald said with a bow. "I'll see to it that my friends will agree to these terms of yours. They will. They must if they want to end this war." And with that said, he turned on his heels and stalked out of the tent with his head held high.

"Well said." Erik commented shortly after Oswald left. "Couldn't have put it better myself."

"General Tullius." Gretel said with a sly grin.

Tullius scoffed but gave a low gruff compliment. "Well done indeed Prince James. I'm impressed."

"Coming from you General Tullius." James replied with a small smile. "I can say that I'm honored."

"If that's all than this meeting is now concluded." Khalid spoke next. The leaders stood and slowly shuffled their way out of the tent. "Let's pray that the friends of Lord Oswald will heed your terms."

"They'd better." Desmond said softly. "If they want to stop further bloodshed."

"I'm tired of this war and I wish for it to end faster." James admitted to his small group of trustworthy people. King Erik and General Tullius nodded at this. "I want to return home to my father. To my family. And most importantly. To the girl of my dreams." The last sentence had him smiling dreamily.

"The more you talk of girls, the more I wish to cuddle with Dorrie." Fredrick said with a sly grin. "Oh, what I would do just to see her lovely face." He added. Desmond and James burst out in laughter.

Khalid had an amused smile across his face. "So now what should we do?" He asked.

"What we can do now is to wait and fortify our position here." James answered as he pointed at the map which indicated the hillside overlooking the sea. "If we can hold out here for at least a month, the reinforcements that were promised would arrive by then and hopefully join us in this fight. If not, they would have sailed here for nothing." He said with a shrug. "Fredrick. The two of us will be taking a small reserve unit to inspect the western bank. The men from Arendelle were suspicious of that side of the bank and urged us to investigate, so that's what we'll be doing. Khalid. Desmond. You two can take the eastern side. Return to camp by sundown."

"Understood sir." Desmond saluted and marched out. Khalid shook his head and followed.

"Well, I'll see you when you return." King Erik mumbled as he walked out with General Tullius, Hansel and Gretel. The former King of Enchancia gave his grandson a curt nod and followed as well.

James and Fredrick walked towards the small group of assembled legionnaires on horseback, they mounted their own steed and begun riding westward. The encampment of coalition knights stretched quite a distance so they had to move at a slow speed so as to not hit anybody or topple supply crates from the fleet. They passed the sentry who pointed out that he saw some figures running into the forest near the bank they were going to investigate, after thanking the sentry for his sharp eyes, they went into a gallop and arrived at their destination. The two dismounted, ordering only five of the ten to follow.

"Fresh footprints." Fredrick reported as he knelt beside the sand which had several pairs of footprints leading from the sea to the inland. "Do you think that the South may have gotten reinforcements?"

"I doubt that." James remarked and inspected the prints left behind. "You five, stay and guard the horses." He ordered the five still mounted legionnaires. The remaining five followed his lead as he tried to investigate the footprints origin, the prints led them to a large camp further inland. James stared at the sight before him in shock, standing before him was not Southern knights nor any of their soldiers but witches and wizards all dressed in dark robes. He and Fredrick shared a knowing glance and quickly made a dash back to their horses. "It was a trap. They meant to lure us here!" He exclaimed as he mounted his steed. "Ride men! Ride for the camp!" He spurred his horse forward.

King Erik noticed the commotion coming from the west side of the camp. "What in the nine realms is going on here?" He roared when he reached the western camp. The coalition soldiers quickly parted and he watched as James and Fredrick came before him with frantic looks in their eyes. "What the hell happened out there?" He asked them quietly.

"Dark wizards and witches." Fredrick answered. "And there's a whole lot of 'em camping out west."

"How many?" Erik inquired.

"More than five thousand." James replied within breaths. "Is Khalid and Desmond back yet?"

"No. They haven't."

"Damn it!" James whirled around to face the assembled and curious knights of the coalition force. "I need volunteers. Men who can fight witches. Our allies might be in danger and we need to rescue them." He stated. One by one, the knights volunteered themselves. Rudistan. Khaldune. Enchancia. Corona. Arendelle. And even the Northern Isles. Before long, James had a company of thirty good men.

The newly formed company rode with haste towards the eastern bank. They could see three figures fighting against eight, with a war cry and the blow of a horn, they entered the fray. James rode fast and decapitated a wizard before dismounting from his horse to engage the others, he kicked a fallen spear into his hands and hurled it towards one of the witches that had the high ground. The witch fell backwards impaled by the spear that he had thrown. Fredrick gave a roar as he kicked a wizard to the ground and brought his blade down, taking the man's life when he did. The knights that volunteered to be the rescue party made short work of the remaining wizards and witches, but four of their own were slain by dark magic.

James sheathed his blade and ran to Desmond's side. "Desmond..." He muttered softly as he knelt down beside his friend. Desmond was leaning against his fallen mount, his right hand clutching his left, his vision was blur as he passed between the barriers of life and death. But there was something off about Desmond. James' eyes glanced downwards and tried his best not to rage in fury. Desmond's left hand was severed from the wrist. The stump was bleeding profusely and James quickly tore off a fabric from his cape to stop the blood. "Stay with me Desmond. We'll get you back..." He reassured.

"Kha...Khalid..." Desmond croaked out, his right hand pointing towards a rock. "Ple..please..."

"I'll go." Fredrick said when James made to stand. He walked forward slowly, but his heart raced every second that he broke off into a run. And there, leaning against the rock was Khalid. The Prince of Khaldune's eyes were closed. Fredrick immediately checked for a pulse and found none. He looked back towards James and silently shook his head. There was no need for words. James nodded and slowly helped Desmond to his horse while Fredrick lifted Khalid in his arms. He turned to the knights that came with them. "Each of you. Take the dead. We're not leaving our comrades behind."

The knights did not need to be told twice as they helped each other carry their fallen brothers away from the scene. The company of twenty-six men rode back in silence. When they arrived back at the camp, the atmosphere grew from anticipation to solemn when the leaders of the coalition force discovered that yet another member of royalty had fallen. Fredrick handed the body of Khalid over to the leaders of the Khaldune forces for them to pay their respects, he then ordered the a pyre to be set up once more for the fallen knights and soldiers from Khalid and Desmond's company. James with the help of several knights carried Desmond to the healers, the Prince of Enchancia was not going to lose another friend in this godforsaken war.

"How is he?" King Erik asked softly.

"He'll live." James replied. "Without a hand."

"How did we not see them?" King Magnus inquired with a frown. "We have over ten thousand knights and legionnaires. And yet NONE could see them approaching."

"Magic at its best." Hansel answered gruffly. "No doubt those dark wizards placed a spell upon the sentries making them oblivious to their surroundings. We were taken completely off-guard."

"The thing I want to know is where." Fredrick spoke with a stony gaze. "Where did they come from? Who else is supporting her prophecy other than Axel and his lackeys?" He looked between the other leaders and James. "Does any of you have any ideas of their origin?"

"They might be from the mainland." Gretel pointed out with a frown. She scanned the map thoroughly and her eyes narrowed in on one location. "Here." She tapped the map. "The Ironwood."

"That's in the North." James said with narrowed eyes. "It's one of the Kingdoms in the realm with the largest forest that goes on for miles. It would take us months to find their hideout. And by the time we do, they'll be long gone." He added as he massaged the side of his head. "Unless..." All eyes turned to look at him. "...the reinforcements that were supposed to aid us in the coming month are instead ordered to the North to search and destroy this coven before it grows larger. One of the largest Legion is still on the mainland and could assist with the operation. With a couple of knights from Rudistan and Corona. they should be able to scour the forest in a few days. Two weeks at most."

"A fine statement." King Erik stroked his beard in thought. "We'll need to send a raven to the mainland." He said before turning to face Gretel. "Or we can use one of the messaging system that my Royal Sorceress has created less than three months back. It's still in the process but at least it can deliver letters to your destination within a single day." James nodded in agreement. "Very well then, I urge those lords and generals of this coalition to write to your fellow men back on the mainland to join their swords in this expedition. Our very lives depends on their success."

"Have no fear my friend." King Magnus said with a grim smile. "You had our swords the moment you saved my life on the field of battle." With just one sentence, the expedition had gained the swords of Rudistan knights.

"This expedition will take place on our soil." Lord Rickard of the Northern Isles said. "It is our right of birth that we take part in this glorious expedition. I will write to my fellow brethren back on the mainland to give whatever men you require." He proclaimed. "Anything to stop this menace."

Gretel nodded. "Write your letters my lord, Your Majesty. I'll do everything in my power to see to it that your letters reach the appropriate hands before nightfall. And I also need your royal seals. Her Highness Lucinda needs to know that whatever is stated in the letters are your orders, and your orders alone." She explained. King Magnus and Lord Rickard gave a knowledgeable nod.

**Corona**

Princess Lucinda sat as silent as a mouse, her eyes never leaving the letter that she had just received via arcane arts. It was from Prince James alright. The letter revealed the deaths of Prince Zandar and Prince Khalid, the two Princes that she had became close friends with were now dead due to the war. And Zandar's marriage to Jade was supposed to take place when they return, however, it appears now that the wedding would never become a reality. The worst part of the letter was the fact that Prince Desmond had lost his left hand during a confrontation between dark witches and wizards, the skirmish that took Khalid's life and countless others. She had called Dorrie to deliver the news of Desmond's wound and Zandar's death back to Enchancia, the young witch had complied and left quite recently.

"Are you alright milady." A soothing voice startled her from her thoughts.

"I'm scared Ralof." Lucinda admitted with a shudder. "I'm afraid for father, James, Fredrick, Desmond and all the rest. Zandar and Khalid are dead along with six thousand men. And it's only the second day on the island. They left with twenty-five hundred thousand men and a quarter of those men were killed on the first day, another hundred on the second." Her hands trembled as she spoke. "Desmond lost his left hand in a skirmish between Dark Art users. Khalid was killed by one of the curses and he won't be the last." Ralof looked at her with sympathy. "Assemble the leaders of the coalition force and the Legion. I will need to speak with them. Especially the Northerners."

"As you wish milady." Ralof bowed deeply and left.

Rudistan lords marched in first, taking their seats across from the high seat where Lucinda sat awaiting the rest of the coalition. Coronain lords with their staff came in next and took their places on the seats arrayed to the left and right of the high seat respectively. Then the Enchancian lords walked in with their squires behind them and sat down opposite the Rudistan lords. General Cipius of the Fourth Legion and General Decius of the Ninth arrived slightly after, accompanying them were two centurions and four legates. Lastly, the Northerners came in, they were big men, and fierce, faces covered with thick beards. Their cloaks were made of skins, the pelts of bear, lion and wolf. The Northern lords bowed their heads out of respect for the fealty that their former King had pledged to King Erik of Corona, they took their seats directly in front of Lucinda.

Two letters were presented before the assembled lords and generals. "There are new orders from your liege lords and fellow brothers on the front lines." Lucinda spoke out in her lady voice. "We are to march North and into the Ironwood Forest and find this coven that has been sending reinforcements to the Southern Isles. The forest is large and that's a fact. But if we do not do this than who else can? We are the only armed force on the mainland that hasn't been engaged or otherwise occupied, my father and Prince James is counting on us to find these Dark Art users and end their line once and for all." The Legion would have no complains as she was one of their founders and they owe their oaths and duties to her. The Coronain lords rose to their feet and declared their immediate support.

"Those are our woods. Our Ironwood." Lord Rodrick of the North spoke for the rest. "Like what Lord Rickard had said. It makes this fight ours. They _dare _come into our land to build an army in the dark only to turn it against the realm when the time comes! No! No longer. The North is with you in this. Her sons and their swords are yours to command. This I swear it." He proclaimed.

"His Majesty the King of Rudistan has spoken." Lord Gerald of Rudistan stated. "And if he tells us to march North. We will march North and end this threat. Our swords and lances are yours milady."

Lord Royland of the Kingdom of Enchancia stood up. "Our Crown Prince is a fair and just ruler and he wasn't lying when he told me that he found a lady that could rival the King's mother. I can see now why he chose you Your Highness. You are strong. Wise. Brave. Loyal. Honest. And above all, you have honor, a trait that is rarely seen in the royal courts." The Northern lords grunted their agreement. "And that is why Enchancian arrows are yours. I cannot sent the knights as His Majesty still worries for his family safety, but who says I can't sent my own guards." He brandished his blade and knelt down.

"My sword is yours milady." He continued while offering the sword. "As long as you'll have me."

Everyone watched as Lucinda in all her glory walked down from the high chair and approached the Lord from Enchancia, and with two hands, she accepted his blade. "It is I who should be thanking you Lord Royland." She said softly for him to hear. She straightened her back and returned to her full height, she wasn't as tall as the Northerners nor many of the lords present but the determination in her eyes overruled the rest. She twirled the blade with her hand and handed it back shortly, hilt first. Lord Royland looked at her curiously as he took hold of his sword. "Ready your knights. Ready your men. Ready your horses." She whirled her head around to face Ralof. "Captain. Prepare my horse. We ride at once." Ralof was surprised but did not show it, he dipped his head and walked off.

"Your Highness." One of Lucinda's guards spoke up. "The reinforcements from Hexley Hall has arrived. Their leader is requesting an audience with you milady."

"Bring him in." Lucinda ordered before smiling sheepishly towards the other lords. "I apologize my lords but I will meet you all at the northern gate once I'm done." The lords rose to their feet and bowed their heads before shuffling their way out of the War Room, a boy nearing adulthood dressed in robes walked in shortly after they left. "Kurt. It's been a while." She greeted.

Kurt nodded his head. "Well, we've been busy convincing the Headmaster to side with James in this war. When the news came to Hexley of Prince Hugo's death, the school was thrown into an uproar. Several of the half-blooded students demanded that the kin-slayer Axel pay for his crimes while the pure-blooded students, those upstarts, want us to remain neutral. Of course we can't have that! With the support of a few friendly pure-blood students, we managed to convince the Headmaster to dispatch the senior and graduating students to help in the war effort. All we had to do was remind him of the Malfoy incident." He shrugged at Lucinda's raised eyebrows. "It was the simplest and only way we could come up with. I mean...Amy had other ideas but hers would take much more longer to fulfill."

"I hate to break this to you Kurt, I really hate it." Lucinda said slowly. Kurt regarded her words carefully. "We are marching north. There's a coven of witches and wizards that practice the Dark Arts hiding in the Ironwood Forest, and they have been providing Muriel with reinforcements. Some of them had already killed another member of royalty." Kurt's eyes went wide. "Yes. Prince Khalid of Khaldune was one of their victim and he won't be the last until we put a stop to it."

"I see where this is going." Kurt replied curtly. "North it is. We'll come with you. If my fellow friends do not want to. I don't care. They can go plow the fields for all I care. But I'll come with you." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I have my reasons. They just made it personal." Lucinda accepted his explanation.

"How is Amy?" Lucinda changed the subject after sensing the rising tension.

Kurt cracked a small smile. "She's helping out the Enchancian Royal Family through the tough time, Princess Sofia came over to Hexley Hall with a squadron of armed knights demanding to see us and she literally threatened our Headmaster with brute force if she was refused. Our Headmaster relented and allowed us to meet with her. She explained to us that her sister, Princess Amber was still in a state of shock and will be needing all the help she can get." He explained. The two of them continued to talk for a few more minutes before Kurt left the Great Hall to break the news to the others.

Lucinda went back into her room, her hand brushed the large cloth that covered the mannequin. She wasn't planning to wear this anytime soon. But as a leader and the future Queen, she knew that one day she would have to rise up to the challenge of warfare. With one gentle pull, the cloth fell to the ground, revealing a silver with gold plating steel armor with a brown cloak attached to it. One look towards her guards told them at once that she needed her own privacy, the guards turned on their heels on the spot and stood guard outside her room door. Closing her eyes, she removed her tiara and placed it back on the shelf that contained the rest, she removed her diamond-studded shoes next. She tugged on the strings behind her dress, untying them one at a time before placing her gown aside. She stood staring at the piece of armor before her looking exactly how she was on the day of her birth.

Lucinda tried not to think about the things to come as she reached for the linen under-shirt and pants, she quickly stepped into the pants and pulled the shirt over her head. She checked herself in the mirror and made doubly sure that her amulet was hidden before pulling the woollen stockings that covered her legs. The sigil of her father shined before her. The symbol of Corona may have been a golden flower but her father had his own personal flag, one that she had chosen to adopt but with a few additions of her own. She put on her padded garment for extra protection. She moved around to get the comfortable feeling that she wanted once she donned her breastplate. The surcoat that contained her sigil came on next which she placed over the breastplate, she tightened the belt that came with it. She had refused to wear gauntlets as it immobilized her movements and restricted the usage of her fingers, hence she only wore a vambrace that protected her hand but not her fingers.

Swinging her cloak over her shoulders and making sure it was attached, Lucinda opened the doors of her room and took the first step out in armor for the first and hopefully her last time. She looked down the hallway and started to walk, her personal guards immediately forming up behind her. The northern gate was filled with knights, soldiers and legionnaires on horseback, the lords and the two Generals of the Legion were at the head of the column. A stable boy quickly and hurriedly handed over the reins of her horse. Lucinda smiled and thanked the young child before swinging herself atop her saddle. She rode to the head of the column with a stoic expression, she spotted Kurt and at least twenty of his friends hovering above the ground on their brooms. She gave them a nod which Kurt returned.

The column of soldiers was long that it stretched from one end of the city walls to the other end, she glanced behind and saw the grim faces of the soldiers that had been told or volunteered to join her in this expedition to the Ironwood. Young squires holding their lord's coat of arms all the way to veteran knights with sharpened lances could be seen waiting for her command. With one finger pointing out, Lucinda yelled at the top of her lungs. "WE RIDE NORTH!"

The order was given.

And the expedition force was on their way.

**Chapter Ten has come to an end. The terms have been delivered to the Southerners by James and it is now up to them to decide whether to accept it and sue for peace or continue the war. Khalid has fallen to the users of the Dark Arts and the Khaldune soldiers are left leaderless. Desmond looses his left hand due to a spell that cuts whatever it touch. Back on the mainland, a meeting was held by Lucinda and the reinforcements that were supposed to travel to the Southern Isles ventured North instead with her leading them.**

**Chapter Eleven Plot: Desmond awakes from his coma and learned that Khalid had died and his left hand had been taken from him rendering him useless as he was a left handed swordsman instead of the common right. General Tullius shows his soft spot by volunteering to train Desmond in swordsmanship with his right hand, it won't be fast but at least its progress. The Southern lords returned with a surprise gift for the coalition leaders. (Can't say it here) **

**Lucinda's journey to the North was brief but brutal, one third of her army was annihilated but she got what she came for. The destruction of the coven, hence, putting an end to those who studied the Dark Arts. James and his surviving friends return to Corona and were reunited with their loved ones. But despite the threat of war being gone, Muriel is still out there, waiting, plotting, and bidding her time to strike.**


End file.
